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AMERICAN PIONEERS AND PA TRIOTS. 
THE ADVENTURES 

OF THE 

Chevalier De La Salle 

AND HIS COMPANIONS, 

IN THEIR EXPLORATIONS OF THE 

prairies, forests, lakes, and rivers, of the new world, 

and their interviews with the savage tribes, 

two hundred years ago. 

by' /^ 

JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. 



ILLTJSXR^TED. 



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NEW YORK : 6 
DODD & MEAD, PUBLISHERS, 
751 BROADWAY. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, the year 1S75, by 

DODD & MEAD, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



- \^^ 



TO 



THE INHABITANTS OF THE GREAT VALLEY OF THE WEST, 



WHOSE MAGNIFICENT REALMS 



LA SALLE AND HIS COMPANIONS WERE THE FIRST TO EXPLORE, 



THIS VOLUME 



IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, BY 



JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. 



PREFACE 



There is no one of the Pioneers of this continent 
whose achievements equal those of the ChevaHer 
Robert de la Salle. He passed over thousands of 
miles of lakes and rivers in the birch canoe. He 
traversed countless leagues of prairie and forest, on 
foot, guided by the moccasined Indian, threading 
trails which the white man's foot had never trod, and 
penetrating the villages and the wigwams of savages, 
where the white man's face had never been seen. 

Fear was an emotion La Salle never experienced. 
His adventures were more wild and wondrous than 
almost any recorded in the tales of chivalry. As 
time is rapidly obliterating from our land the foot- 
prints of the savage, it is important that these 
records of his strange existence should be per- 
petuated. 



6 PREFACE. 

Fortunately we have full and accurate accounts 
of these explorations, in the journals of Messrs. 
Marquette, Hennepin, and Joliet. We have still 
more minute narratives, in Etablissement de la Foix, 
par le P. Chretien Le Clercq, Paris 1691 ; Dernier cs 
DecoHvertes, par le Chevalier de Tonti, Paris 1697. 
jfournal Historiqne, par M. Joutel, Paris 171 3. 

For the incidents in the last fatal expedition, to 
establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi, 
and the wonderful land tour of more than two 
thousand miles from the sea-coast of Texas to Que- 
bec, through the territories of hundreds of tribes, we 
have the narratives of Father Christian Le Clercq, 
the narrative of Father Anastasias Douay, and the 
minute and admirably written almost daily journal 
of Monsieur Joutel, in his Dernier Voyage. Both 
Douay and Joutel accompanied this expedition 
from its commencement to its close. 

In these adventures the reader will find a more 
vivid description of the condition of this continent, 
and the character of its inhabitants two hundred 
years ago, than can be found anywhere else. Sir 
Walter Scott once remarked, that no one could take 
more pleasure in reading his romances, than he had 



PREFACE. 7 

taken in writing them. In this volume we have the 
romance of truth. 

If the writer can judge of the pleasure of the 
reader, from the intense interest he has experienced 
in following these adventurers through their perilous 
achievements, this narrative will prove to be one of 
extraordinary interest. 

John. S. C. Abbott. 

Fair Haven, Connecticut. 



CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER I. 
The Efiterprise of yames Marquette. 

PAGE 

The Discovery of America. — Explorations of the French in 
Canada. — Ancestry of James Marquette. — His noble Charac- 
ter. — Mission to Canada. — Adventures with the Indians. — 
Wild Character of the Region and the Tribes. — Voyage to 
Lake Superior with the Nez-Perces. — Mission at Green Bay. 
— Search for the Mississippi. — The Outfit. — The Voyage 
through Green Bay. — Fox River and the Illinois. — Enters 
the Mississippi, — Scenes Sublime and Beautiful. — Adven- 
tures in an Indian Village 15 

CHAPTER H. 

The First Exploration of the Mississippi River. 

River Scenery, — The Missouri. — Its Distant Banks, — The Mos- 
quito Pest. — Meeting the Indians. — Influence of the Calumet. 
— The Arkansas River. — A Friendly Greeting. — Scenes in 
the Village. — Civilization of the Southern Tribes. — Domestic 
Habits. — Fear of the Spaniards. — The Return Voyage. . 4I 

CHAPTER HI. 

Marquette's Last Voyage, and Death. 

The Departure from Green Bay. — Navigating the Lake in a 
Canoe. — Storms of rain and snow. — Night Encampments. — 



lO CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Ascending the Chicago River. — A Winter with the Savages. 
— Journey to the Kankakee. — The Great Council on the 
Prairie. — Interesting Incidents. — The Escort of Savages. — 
The Death Scene. — Sublime Funeral Solemnities. . . 6i 



CHAPTER IV. 

Life upon the St. Lawrence and the Lakes Two 
ILundred Years Ago. 

Birth of La Salle. — His Parentage and Education. — Emigrates to 
America. — Enterprising Spirit. — Grandeur of his Concep- 
tions, — Visits the Court of France. — Preparations for an 
Exploring Voyage. — Adventures of the River and Lake. — 
Awful Scene of Indian Torture. — Traffic with the Indians. 
— The vShip-yard at Lake Erie. ...... 8l 



CHAPTER V. 

The Voyage Along the Lakes. 

The Embarcation. — Equipment of the Griffin. — Voyage through 
the Lakes and Straits. — The Storm. — Superstition of the 
Voyagers. — Arrival at Mackinac. — Scenery there. — Friend- 
ship of the Indians. — Sail on Lakes Huron and Michigan. — 
Arrival at Green Bay. — The well-freighted Griffin sent back. 104 

CHAPTER VL 

The Expedition of Father JLennepin. 

Seeking a Northwest Passage. — The Voyage Commenced. — 
The Alarm. — Delightful Scenery. — The Indian Village. — 
Entrance to the Mississippi. — Appearance of the Country. 
— The Midnight Storm. — Silence and Solitude. — A Fleet of 
Canoes. — Captured by the Savages. — Merciful Captivity. — 
Alarming Debate. — Condition of the Captives. . . . 128 



CONTENTS. 1 1 

CHAPTER VII. 
Life with the Savages. 

PAGE 

Ascending the River with the Savages. — Religious Worship. — 
Abundance of Game. — Hardihood of the Savages. — The 
War-Whoop. — Savage Revelry. — The Falls of St. Anthony. 
— Wild Country Beyond, — Sufferings of the Captives. — 
Capricious Treatment. — Triumphal Entrance. — The Adop- 
tion. — Habits of the Savages 145 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Escape from the Savages. 

Preaching to the Indians. — Studying the Language. — The Coun- 
cil. — Speech of Ou-si-cou-de. — The Baptism. — The Night 
Encampment. — Picturesque Scene. — Excursion on the St. 
Francis. — Wonderful River Voyage. — Incidents by the Way. 
— Characteristics of the Indians. — Great Peril. — Strange En- 
counter with the Indian Chief. — Hardships of the Voyage. — 
Vicissitudes of the Hunter's Life. — Anecdote. — The Return 
Voyage 163 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Abandonment of Fort Crevecocur. 

Departure of La Salle. — Fathers Membre and Gabriel, — Their 
Missionary Labors. — Character of the Savages. — The Iroquois 
on the War Path, — Peril of the Garrison. — Heroism of Tonti 
and Membre. — Infamous Conduct of the Young Savages. — 
Flight of the Illinois. — Fort Abandoned, — Death of Father 
Gabriel. — Sufferings of the Journey to Mackinac. . , 188 

CHAPTER 'X. 

La Salle's Second Exploring Tour, 

Disasters. — Energy of La Salle. — The Embarcation. — Navigating 
the Lakes. — Sunshine and Storm, Beauty and Desolation.-— 



12 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Ruins at Crevecoeur. — Steps Retraced. — Christian Character 
of La Salle.— Arrival at Mackinac. — The Enterprise Re- 
newed. — Travelling on the Ice. — Descent of the Illinois 
River. — Entering the Mississippi. — Voyage of the Canoes. 
— Adventures with the Indians 210 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Great Enterprise Accomplished. 

Scenes in the Arkansas Villages. — Indian Hospitality. — Bar- 
barian Splendor. — Attractive Scenery. — The Alarm. — Its 
Joyful Issue. — Genial Character of La Salle; — Erecting the 
Cross. — Pleasant Visit to the Koroas. — The Two Channels. 
— Perilous Attack. — Humanity of La Salle. — The Sea 
Reached. — Ceremonies of Annexation. .... 232 

CHAPTER XH. 

The Return Voyage. 

The Numerous Alligators. — Destitution of Provisions. — Encoun- 
tering Hostile Indians. — A Naval Battle. — Visit to the Vil- 
lage. — Treachery of the Savages. — The Attack. — Humane 
Conduct of La Salle. — Visit to the Friendly Taensas. — 
Severe Sickness of La Salle. — His Long Detention at Prud- 
homme. — The Sick Man's Camp. — Lieutenant Tonti sent 
Forward. — Recovery of La Salle. — His Arrival at Fort 
Miami. 249 

CHAPTER XHI. 
Sea Voyage to the Gulf of Mexico. 

La Salle returns to Quebec. — Sails for France. — Assailed by Cal- 
umny.-^The Naval Expedition. — Its Object. — Its Equip- 
ment.— rDisagreement between La Salle and Beaujeu. — The 
Voyage to the \yest Indies,^ — Adventures in the Caribbean 
Sea.^TJaey Enter the Gulf. — Storms and Calms. — The 
Voyagers Lost 268 



CONTENTS. 13 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Lost ill the Wilderness. 

PACK 

Treachery of Beaujeu. — Accumulating Troubles. — Anxieties of 
La Salle. — March on the Land. — The Encampment. — Wreck 
of the Aimable. — Misadventure with the Indians. — Com- 
mencement of Hostilities. — Desertion of Beaujeu with the 
Joli. — The Encampment. — The Indians Solicit Friendship. 
— The Cruel Repulse. — Sickness and Sorrow. — Exploring 
Expeditions. — The Mississippi sought for in vain. . . 290 

CHAPTER XV. 

A T?'ip toward Mexico. 

Arrangements for the Journey. — The Departure. — Indians on 
Horseback. — Scenes of Enchantment. — Attractive Character 
of La Salle. — Visit to the Kironas. — The Bite of the Snake. 
— Adventures Wild and Perilous. — Hardihood of the Indian 
Hunter. — The Long Sickness. — A Man Devoured by a 
Crocodile. — The Return 31 1 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Last Days of La Salle. 

Plan for the New Journey. — Magnitude of the Enterprise. — 
Affecting Leave-taking. — The Journey Commenced. — Adven- 
tures by the Way. — Friendly Character of the Indians. — Vast 
Realms of Fertility and Beauty. — The Joys and the Sorrows 
of such a Pilgrimage. — The Assassination of La Salle and of 
three of his Companions. ....... 326 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Penalty of C?'ime. 

Nature's Storms. — The Gloom of the Soul. — Approach to the 
Cenis Village. — Cordial Welcome. — Barbaric Ceremonials. 



14 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

— Social Habits of the Indians. — Meeting with the French 
Deserters. — Trafific with the Indians. — Quarrel between 
Hiens and Duhaut. — The Assassins Assassinated. — De- 
parture of the War Party. — Fiend-like Triumph. — The 
March Resumed. ......... 346 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Close of the Di'ama. 

Ludicrous Scene. — Death of M. Marie. — Sympathy of the 
Savages. — Barbaric Ceremonies. — The Mississippi Reached. 
— Joyful Interview. — Ascending the River. — Incidents by 
the Way. — The Beautiful Illinois. — Weary Detention. — The 
Voyage to Mackinac. — Thence to Quebec. — Departure for 
France. — Fate of the Colony 366 



Adventures of La Salle 

AND HIS COMPANIONS. 



CHAPTER I. 

TJie Enterprise of James Marquette. 

The Discovery of America. — Explorations of the French in Canada. — 
Ancestry of James Marquette. — His noble character. — Mission 
to Canada. — Ad ventures with the Indians. — Wild Character of 
the Region and the Tribes. — Voyage to Lake Superior with the 
Nez-Perces. — Mission at Green Bay. — Search for the Mississippi. 
— The Outfit. — The Voyage through Green Bay. — Fox River and 
the Illinois. — Enters the Mississippi. — Scenes Sublime and Beau- 
tiful. — Adventures in an Indian Village. 

Nearly three hundred and forty years ago, in 
April 1 541, De Soto, in his adventurous march, dis- 
covered the majestic Mississippi, not far from the 
border of the State of Tennessee. No white man's 
eye had ever before beheld that flood whose banks are 
now inhabited by busy millions. The Indians in- 
formed him that all the region below consisted of 
dismal, endless, uninhabitable swamps. De Soto, 



l6 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

world-weary and woe-stricken, died upon the banks of 
the river. In its fathomless depths his body found 
burial. 

These cruel adventurers, insanely impelled in 
search of mines of gold, founded no settlements, and 
left behind them no traces of their passage, save that 
by their cruelties they had excited the implacable 
ire of the Indian against the white man. A hundred 
years of earth's many griefs lingered slowly away, 
while these vast solitudes were peopled only by 
wandering savage tribes whose record must forever 
remain unknown. 

In the year 1 641, some French envoys, from 
Canada, seeking to open friendly trade with the 
Indians for the purchase of furs, penetrated the 
northwest of our country as far as the Falls of St. 
Mary, near the outlet of Lake Superior. The most 
friendly relations existed between these Frenchmen 
and the Indians, wherever the tribes were encoun- 
tered. This visit led to no settlement. The adven- 
turous traders purchased many furs, with which they 
loaded their birch canoes : established friendly rela- 
tions with these distant Indians, and greatly extended 
the region from which furs were brought to their 
trading posts in Canada. 

Eighteen more years passed away, over the silent 
and gloomy wilderness, when in 1659, a little band 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 1 7 

of these bold and hardy explorers, in their frail 
canoes, with Indian guides, paddled along the lonely, 
forest-fringed shores of Lake Ontario, ascended the 
Niagara River to the Falls, carried their canoes on 
their shoulders around the rapids, launched them 
again on Lake Erie, traversed that inland sea over 
two hundred and fifty miles, entered the magnificent 
Strait, passed through it to Lake St. Clair, crossed 
that lake, ascended the St. Clair River to Lake Huron, 
and traversing its whole length, a distance of three 
hundred miles, reached the Falls of St. Mary. 

Here, at the distance of more than a thousand 
miles from the least vestiges of civilization, and sur- 
rounded by numerous and powerful bands of savages, 
these hardy men passed an inclement winter. Amidst 
rocks and gloomy pines they reared their hut. Game 
was abundant, fuel was at their door, the Indians 
were hospitable, and they wanted for nothing. One 
event only darkened these wintry months. The 
leader of the band became lost in the woods and 
perished. 

In the spring the men returned rejoicingly to 
Canada, with their canoes laden with the richest furs. 
They also brought such reports of the docility and 
amiability of the Indians, as to inspire the Christians 
in Canada with the intense desire to establish mis- 
sionary stations among them. Five years passed 



1 8 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

away, when Father Claude AUouez, with a small 
band of Christian heroes, penetrated these wilds to 
proclaim the glad tidings of the Gospel. Two years 
after, he was followed by Father James Marquette, 
a noble man, whose name will never die. 

As the explorations of Marquette opened the way 
for the still more wonderful excursions of La Salle, I 
must here introduce a brief account of his adventures. 
There is something in blood. The Marquette family 
had been illustrious in France from time immemorial. 
Generation after generation, many of its members 
had obtained renown, not only for chivalric courage, 
but for every virtue which can adorn humanity. 
Their ancestral home was a massive feudal castle 
on an eminence near the stately city of Leon. The 
armorial bearing of the family commemorates deeds 
of heroic enterprise five hundred years ago. They 
were generally earnest Christians. 

James Marquette was born at the ancient seat of 
the family in the year 1637. His mother was a 
woman of fervent piety and of unusual strength and 
culture of mind. Her brother, John Baptiste de la 
Salle, was the founder of a system of Christia-n schools 
for the gratuitous education of the poor. Thousands 
were thus instructed long before the present system 
of public schools was introduced. It was to the in- 
structions of his noble mother that James Marquette 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 1 9 

was indebted for his elevated Christian character, 
and for his self-sacrificing devotion to the interests 
of humanity, which have given his name celebrity 
through a large portion of the Christian world. 

At the age of seventeen this noble young man, 
resisting all the brilliant allurements the world opened 
to one of his wealth and rank, consecrated himself to 
the service of religion by entering the ministry in the 
Catholic Church, in which he was born and educated, 
and by whose influences he was exclusively sur- 
rounded. 

Two years were devoted to intense study. Then, 
for twelve years, he was employed in teaching and in 
many laborious and self-denying duties. As was 
natural, with a young man of his ardent nature and 
glowing spirit of enterprise, he was very desirous of 
conveying the glad tidings of the Gospel to those 
distant nations who had never even heard of the 
name of Jesus. 

Canada and its savage tribes were then attracting 
much attention in France. Wonderful stories were 
told of the St. Lawrence River, and of the series of 
majestic lakes, spreading far away into the unknown 
interior, and whose shores were crowded with In- 
dian tribes of strange aspect, language, and customs. 

In the year 1666, Marquette set sail from France. 
On the 20th of September, he landed, on the banks 



20 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

of the St. Lawrence, at a little hamlet of French log- 
cabins and Indian wigwams, called Quebec. He was 
then but twenty-nine years of age. There was, at 
that time, another missionary, M. AUouez, on an 
exploring tour far away upon the majestic lakes of the 
interior. With adventurous footsteps he was traver- 
sing prairie soHtudes and forest glooms, upon which 
no eye of civilized man had ever yet looked. His 
birch canoe, paddled by Indian guides, glided over 
solitary waters hundreds of leagues beyond the 
remotest frontier stations. 

There was quite an important trading-post at the 
mouth of Saguenay River. This was a remarkable 
stream, which entered the St. Lawrence about one 
one hundred and twenty miles below Quebec. It 
came rushing down, from unknown regions of the 
north, with very rapid flood, entering the St. Law- 
rence at a point where that majestic river was eleven 
miles in width. 

Here the French government had established 
one of the most important commercial and religious 
stations of that day. At certain seasons of the year 
it presented an extraordinary wild and picturesque 
aspect of busy hfe. There were countless Indian 
tribes, clustered in villages along the banks of the 
St. Lawrence, the Saguenay, and their tributary 
streams. In the early summer, the Indians came by 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 21 

hundreds, in fleets of canoes — men, women and chil- 
dren — to this great mart of traffic. They came in 
their gayest attire, feared their wigwams on the 
plain, kindled their fires, and engaged in all the bar- 
baric sports of Indian gala days. The scene pre- 
sented was so full of life and beauty, that the most 
skilful artist might despair of his ability to transfer it 
to the canvas. 

Father Marquette took his station at this point. 
Here for twelve years he patiently labored, trying to 
teach the Indians the way of salvation through faith 
in Jesus Christ. Full of enthusiasm, and naturally 
endowed with a very enterprising spirit, his heart 
glowed with zeal as he listened to the narrative of 
Father AUouez, of populous tribes, far away on the 
majestic shores of Huron, Michigan, Superior. 
These tribes had never heard of the mission of the 
Son of God, to save a lost world. They had but 
very faint conceptions of the Heavenly Father. 
Marquette could not resist the impulse to carry the 
Gospel to these realms of darkness. 

It is difficult for us now to form any adequate con- 
ception of the little hamlet, at the mouth of the Sa- 
guenay, where Marquette commenced his missionary 
labors. The log-cabins of the French, their store- 
house, and, most prominent of all, the cross-sur- 
mounted log chapel, were clustered together. At a 



22 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

little distance, on the plain, were hundreds of Indian 
wigwams. Bark canoes, light as bubbles, were seen 
gliding over the still waters, which were there ex- 
panded into a beautiful bay. The glooms of the 
gigantic forest, spreading back to unexplored and un- 
imagined depth, added to the sublimity of the scene. 

There seemed to be no apprehension of hostility 
on either side. The intercourse between the two 
parties of civilized and uncivilized men was truly 
fraternal. The French conformed, as far as possible, 
to the modes of life of the Indians. They shared in 
their games, married the daughters of their chiefs, 
and in all points endeavored to identify the interests 
of the natives with their own. 

M. Marquette had a remarkable facility in the ac- 
quisition of languages. There was a general resem- 
blance in the language of all the tribes on the St. 
Lawrence. He could very soon speak fluently with 
all. Taking Indian guides with him, he commenced 
tours in various directions, paddled by Indians in the 
birch bark canoe. He visited tribe after tribe, met 
the chiefs at their council fires, slept in the wigwams, 
administered medicines to the sick, and, with zeal 
which no discouragement could chill, endeavored to 
point the living and the dying to that Saviour who 
taketh away the sins of the world. 

After spending two years in these labors, he ob- 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 23 

tained an appointment to connect himself with a 
mission estabhshed nearly a thousand miles west, far 
away upon the shores of Lake Superior. On the 
2 1 St of April, 1668, he left Quebec for Montreal. 
The distance was one hundred and eighty miles up 
the river. The voyage was made in a birch canoe, 
with three boatmen to aid him in paddling it against 
the stream. They could proceed about thirty miles 
a day. The voyage occupied about a week. There 
were Indian villages on the banks where they occa- 
sionally slept. At other times they encamped in 
the forest, the night wind lulling them to sleep, as it 
sighed through the leafless branches, which the 
returning sun of spring had scarcely yet caused to bud. 

At Montreal there was a little cluster of cabins 
and wigwams, presenting a very different aspect from 
the stately city which now adorns that site. After a 
short tarry there, waiting for a suitable guide, to 
traverse more than a thousand miles of almost path- 
less wilderness, a party of Nez-Perce Indians, from 
Lake Superior, came down the river in their canoes. 
With them Marquette embarked. It was a wonder- 
ful voyage which this gentleman, from the refinement 
and culture of France, made alone with these 
savages. 

They paddled up the Ottawa River a distance of 
nearly four hundred miles. Thence through a series 



24 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

of narrow streams and minor lakes, they entered Lake 
Nipissing. Descending the rapid flood of French 
River, through cheerless solitudes eighty miles in 
extent, they entered Georgian Bay. Crossing this 
vast sheet of water over an expanse of fifty miles, 
they saw the apparently boundless waves of Lake 
Huron opening before them. The northern shores 
of this inland sea they skirted, until they reached the 
river St. Mary, which connects Lake Superior with 
Lake Huron. Here two missionary stations were 
established. 

One was near the entrance of the river into Lake 
Huron, about forty miles below the celebrated Falls 
of St. Mary. The other was at Green Bay, an im- 
mense lake in itself, jutting out from the northwest- 
ern extremity of Lake Michigan. Father Marquette 
reared his log-cabin in the vicinity of a small Indian 
village, on the main land, just south of the island of 
Mackinaw. He named the station St. Ignatius. In 
this vast solitude this heroic man commenced his 
labors of love. There were about two thousand souls 
in the tribes immediately around him. With great 
docility they listened to his teachings, and were eager 
to be baptized as Christians. But the judicious father 
was in no haste thus to secure merely their nominal 
conversion. The dying, upon professions of peni- 
tence, he was ever ready to baptize, and to adminis- 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 25 

ter to them the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
With the rest he labored to root out all the remnants 
of their degrading superstitions, and to give them 
correct ideas of salvation through repentance, amend- 
ment, and trust in an atoning Saviour. 

Gradually Marquette gathered around him a lit- 
tle band of loving disciples. For three years he 
labored with them cheerfully, joyously. His gentle 
and devoted spirit won, not merely the friendship of 
the Indians, but their ardent affections. He was 
just as safe among them as the most beloved father 
surrounded by his children. Three years this good 
man remained in these lonely wilds, peacefully and 
successfully teaching these benighted children of the 
forest. During all this time his mind had been much 
exercised with the thought of exploring the limitless 
and unknown regions south and west. 

He had heard rumors of the Mississippi, the 
Father of Waters ; and his devout mind peopled the 
vast realms through which it flowed with the lost 
children of God, whom he perhaps might reclaim, 
through the Gospel of Jesus, who had come from 
heaven for their redemption. The Governor of 
Canada was desirous, for more worldly reasons, of 
exploring these regions, where future empires might 
be reared. 

Even the Indians knew but little respecting this 
2 



26 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

great and distant river. There was much uncer- 
tainty whether it ran south, into the Gulf of Mexico, 
or west, emptying into the Gulf of California, which 
Spanish explorers had called the Red Sea, in conse- 
quence of its resemblance to that Asiatic sheet of 
water, or whether it turned easterly, entering the 
Atlantic Ocean somewhere near the Virginia coast. 

In the spring of the year 1673, Governor Frontenac 
sent a French gentleman, M. Joliet, from Quebec, 
with five boatmen, to Point St. Ignatius, to take 
Father Marquette on board and set out to find and 
explore the 'downward course of this much talked of 
river. M. Joliet was admirably qualified for this 
responsible enterprise. He was a man of deep 
religious convictions, had spent several years among 
the Indians, was a very courteous man in all his 
intercourse with them, was thoroughly acquainted 
with their customs, and spoke several of their lan- 
guages. As to courage, it was said that he absolutely 
feared nothing. The good father writes, in refer- 
ence to his own appointment to this expedition : 

*' I was the more enraptured at this good news, 
as I saw my designs on the point of being accom- 
plished, and myself in the happy necessity of expos- 
ing my life for the salvation of all these nations. 
Our joy at being chosen for this enterprise, sweet- 
ened the labor of paddling from morning till night. 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 2/ 

As we were going to seek unknown countries, we 
took all possible precautions, that if our enterprise 
were hazardous, it should not be foolhardy. For 
this reason we gathered all possible information from 
the Indians, who had frequented those parts. We 
even traced a map of all the new country, marking 
down the rivers on which we were to sail, the names 
of the nations through which we were to pass, and 
the course of the great river." 

On the 13th of May, 1673, this Httle band, consist- 
ing of M. Joliet, Father Marquette, and five boatmen, 
in two birch canoes, commenced their adventurous 
voyage. They took with them some Indian corn 
and jerked meat ; but they were to live mainly upon 
such food as they could obtain by the way. The 
immense sheet of water, at the northwestern ex- 
tremity of Lake Michigan, called Green Bay, is one 
hundred miles long by twenty or thirty broad. The 
boatmen paddled their frail canoes along the western 
border of this lake until they reached its southern 
extremity, where they found a shallow river, flowing 
into it from the south, which they called Fox River. 
They could propel their canoes about thirty miles a 
day. Each night they selected some propitious spot 
for their encampment. Upon some dry and grassy 
mound they could speedily, with their axes, construct 
a hut which would protect them from the weather. 



28 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Carefully smoothing down the floor, they spread over 
it their ample couch of furs. Fish could be taken 
in abundaace. The forest was filled with game. 
An immense fire, blazing before the open side of the 
hut, gave warmth, and illumined the sublime scene 
with almost the brilliance of noon-day. There they 
joyously cooked their suppers, with appetites which 
rendered the feast more luxurious to them probably 
than any gourmand at Delmonico's ever enjoyed. 

Each night Father Marquette held a religious 
service, which all reverently attended. Prayers were 
offered, and their hymns of Christian devotion 
floated sweetly through those sublime sohtudes. 
The boatmen were men of a gentle race, who had 
been taught from infancy to revere the exercises of 
the church. 

They came upon several Indian villages. But 
the natives were as friendly as brothers. Many of 
them had visited the station at St. Ignatius, and all 
of them had heard of Father Marquette and his 
labors of love. These children of the forest begged 
their revered friend to desist from his enterprise. 

*' There are," they said, ** on the great river, bad 
Indians who will cut off your heads without any 
cause. There are fierce warriors who will try to 
seize you and make you slaves. There are enormous 
birds there, whose wings darken the air, and who 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 29 

can swallow you all, with your canoes, at a mouthful. 
And worst of all, there is a malignant demon there 
who, if you escape all other dangers, will cause the 
waters to boil and whirl around you and devour 
you." 

To all this, the good Marquette replied, " I 
thank you, dear friends, for your kind advice, but I 
cannot follow it. There are souls there, to save 
whom, the Son of God came to earth and died. 
Their salvation is at stake. I would joyfully lay 
down my life ifT could guide them to the Saviour." 

They found the navigation of Fox River impeded 
with many rapids. To surmount these it was neces- 
sary often to alight from their canoes, and, wading 
over the rough and sharp stones, to drag them up 
against the swift current. They were within the 
limits of the present State of Wisconsin, and found 
themselves in a- region of lakes, sluggish streams, and 
marshes. But there were Indian trails, which had 
been trodden for uncounted generations, leading 
west. These they followed, often painfully carrying 
their canoes and their burdens on their shoulders, 
for many miles, from water to water, over what the 
Indians called the Carrying Places. 

At length they entered a region of remarkable 
luxuriance, fertility, and beauty. There were crys- 
tal streams and charming lakes. Magnificent forests 



30 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

were interspersed with broad and green prairies. 
God seemed to have formed, in these remote realms, 
an Eden of surpassing loveliness for the abode of 
his children. Three tribes, in perfect harmony, occu- 
pied the region — the Miamis, Mascoutins, and Kick- 
apoos. There was a large village with abundant 
corn-fields around. River and lake, forest and prai- 
rie were alike alive with game. 

To their surprise they found tha.t the French mis- 
sionary, Father Allouez, had reached this distant 
spot, preaching the Gospel, eight years before. The 
Indians had received him with fraternal kindness. 
He had left in the centre of the village a cross, the 
emblem of the crucified Son of God. 

" I found," Marquette writes, " that these good 
people had hung skins and belts and bows and arrows 
on the cross, an offering to the Great Spirit, to thank 
him because he had taken pity on them during the 
winter and had given them an abundant chase." 

No white man had ever penetrated beyond this 
region. These simple, inoffensive people seemed 
greatly surprised that seven unarmed men should 
venture to press on to meet the unknown dangers of 
the wilderness beyond — wilds which their imagina- 
tions had peopled with all conceivable terrors. 

On the loth of June these heroic men resumed 
their journey. The kind Indians furnished them 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 3 1 

with two guides to lead them through the intricacies 
of the forest to a river, about ten miles distant, which 
they called Wisconsin, and which they said flowed 
westward into the Father of Waters. They soon 
reached this stream. The Indians helped them to 
carry their canoes and effects across the portage. 
** We were then left," writes Marquette, " alone in 
that unknown country, in the hand of God." 

Our voyagers found the stream hard to navigate. 
It was full of sand-bars and shallows. There were 
many islands covered with the richest verdure. At 
times they came upon landscapes of enchanting 
beauty, with lawns and parks and lakes, as if arranged 
by the most careful hands of art. 

After descending this stream about one hundred 
and twenty miles, they reached the mouth of the 
Wisconsin River, and saw the flood of the Mississippi 
rolling majestically before them. It was the 17th 
of June 1673, Father Marquette writes that, upon 
beholding the river, he experienced a joy which he 
could not express. 

Easily they could be swept down by the rapid 
current into the sublime unexplored solitudes below. 
But to paddle back against the swift-rolHng tide 
would try the muscles of the hardiest men. Still the 
voyagers pressed on. It was indeed a fairy scene 
which now opened before them. Here bold bluffs, 



32 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

hundreds of feet high, jutted into the river. Here 
were crags of stupendous size and of every variety 
of form, often reminding one of Europe's most pic- 
turesque stream, where 

*' The castled crags of Drachenfels, 

Frown o'er the wide and winding Rhine." 

Again the prairie would spread out its ocean-Hke ex- 
panse, embellished with groves, garlanded with flow- 
ers of gorgeous colors waving in the summer breeze, 
checkered with sunshine and the shade of passing 
clouds, with roving herds of the stately buffalo and 
the graceful antelope. And again the gloomy forest 
would appear, extending over countless leagues, 
where bears, wolves, and panthers found a congenial 
home. 

Having descended the river nearly two hundred 
miles they came to an Indian trail, leading back into 
the country. It was so well trodden as to give evi- 
dence that a powerful tribfe was near. It speaks well 
for the Indians — for the reputation which they then 
enjoyed — that Marquette, with his French compan- 
ion, M. JoHet, far away in the wilderness, seven hun- 
dred miles from any spot which a white man's foot 
had ever before trod, should not have hesitated alone 
to enter this trail in search of the habitations of this 
unknown tribe. They left all their companions, with 
the canoes, on the bank of the river. 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 33 

" We cautioned them," writes Father Marquette, 
** strictly to beware of a surprise. Then M. JoHet 
and I undertook this rather hazardous discovery, for 
two single men, who thus put themselves at the dis- 
cretion of an unknown and barbarous people." 

These two bold adventurers followed the trail in 
silence for about six miles. They then saw, not far 
from them, upon a meadow on the banks of a small 
stream, a very picturesque group of wigwams, with 
all the accompaniments of loafing warriors, busy 
women, sporting children, and wolfish dogs, usually 
to be found in an Indian village. At the distance of 
about a mile and a half, upon a gentle eminence, 
there was another village of about equal size. 

As the Indians had not yet caught sight of them, 
they fell upon their knees, and Father Marquette," in 
fervent prayer, commended themselves to God. They 
then gave a loud shout, to attract the attention of 
the Indians, and stepped out into open view. The 
whole community was instantly thrown into commo- 
tion, rushing from the wigwams, and gathering in 
apparently an anxious group. 

After a brief conference they seemed to come to 
the conclusion that two unarmed men could not thus 
approach them, announcing their coming, with any 
hostile intent. Four of their aged men were deputed 
to go forward and greet the strangers. They ad- 
2* 



34 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

vanced with much dignity, not uttering a word, but 
waving, in their hands, the pipes of peace. As it 
afterwards appeared, they had often heard of the 
arrival of the French in Canada, of the wonderful 
articles which they brought for traffic, and of the mis- 
sionaries, with their long black gowns. The name of 
Blackgowns was the one with which, in all the tribes, 
they designated these preachers of the Gospel. When 
they had come within a few paces of the strangers, 
they regarded them attentively and waited to be 
addressed. Both M. Johet and Father Hennepin 
understood that these ceremonies indicated friend- 
ship. Father Hennepin broke the silence by inquiring : 

'' To what nation do you belong? " 

" We are Illinois," one of them replied, *' and in 
token of peace we have brought you our pipes to 
smoke. We invite you to our village, where all are 
awaiting ygu with impatience." 

The Frenchman and the four Indians walked 
together to the village. At the door of one of the 
largest wigwams, one of the ancients stood to receive 
them. According to their custom, on such occa- 
sions, he was entirely unclothed. This probably was 
the savage mode of indicating that there were no con- 
cealed weapons about the person. This man, with 
his hands raised toward the sun, which was shining 
brightly, said : 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 35 

" How beautiful is the sun, O Frenchmen ! when 
you come to visit us. All our people welcome you, 
and you shall enter all our cabins in peace." 

He then led them into the wigwam. A large 
concourse remained outside in respectful silence. 
Only the principal men entered the wigwam. Mats 
were provided, for the guests, in the centre. The 
rest took seats around. The calumet of peace was 
passed. All in turn partook of the smoke of the 
weed which both the civilized and uncivilized man 
have prized so highly. 

While thus employed, a messenger came in from 
the head chief, who resided in the village on the 
eminence to which we have alluded. He brought 
a message from the chief, inviting the strangers to 
his residence. 

" We went with a good will," writes M. Marquette. 
" The people, who had never before seen a white man, 
could never tire looking at us. They threw them- 
selves upon the grass, by the way-side, to watch as 
we passed. They ran ahead, and then turned and 
walked slowly back to examine us. All this was 
done without noise and in the most respectful 
manner." 

The chief was standing, with two venerable men, 
at the door of his residence. The three were en- 
tirely destitute of clothing. Each one held the calu- 



36 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

met of peace in his hand. The guests were received 
with smiles and a few cordial words of welcome. 
Together they all entered the spacious wigwam. It 
was very comfortable and even cheerful in its aspect, 
being carpeted, and its sides were lined with mats 
ingeniously woven from rushes. The Frenchmen, as 
before, were placed upon central mats, while all the 
dignitaries of the village silently entered and took 
their seats around. 

The chief rose, and in a few very appropriate 
words bade the strangers welcome to his country. 
Again the pipe of peace was presented to them and 
passed the rounds. M. Marquette, who, as we have 
said, was quite at home in all matters of Indian eti- 
quette, then arose, and addressing the chief, said : 

" We have come as friends to visit the nations 
on this side of the great river." In token of the 
truth of these words, he made the chief a handsome 
present. He then added, '' God, the Father of us 
all, has had pity on you, though you have long been 
ignorant of Him. He wishes to become known to all 
nations, and has sent me to communicate His will 
to you, and wishes you to acknowledge and obey 
Him." Another present was handed the chief. 
He then continued, " My king, the great chief of 
the French, wishes that peace should reign every- 
where ; that there should be no more wars. The 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 3/ 

Iroquois, who have been the enemies of the Illinois, 
he has subdued." Another present was given, in 
confirmation of the truth of these words. In con- 
clusion of this brief yet comprehensive speech, he 
remarked, '' And now I have only to say that we 
entreat you to give us all the information, in your 
power, of the sea into which the great river runs, and 
of the nations through whom we must pass on our 
way to reach it." 

The chief rose, and addressing Father Marquette, 
said, *' I thank thee, Blackgown, and thee also," bow- 
ing to M. Joliet, " for taking so much pains to 
come and visit us. Never has the earth been so 
beautiful to us, a-nd never has the sun shone so 
brightly upon us as to-day. Never has our river 
been so calm or so free from rocks. Your canoes 
have swept them away. Never has our tobacco had 
so fine a flavor, or our corn been so luxuriant as we 
behold it to-day, now that you are with us." 

Then, turning to a little Indian captive boy, at 
his side, whom they had taken from some hostile 
tribe, and had adopted into the family of the chief, 
he added: 

" Here is my son. I give him to you that you 
may know my heart. I implore you to take pity 
upon me, and upon all my nation. Thou knowest 
the Great Spirit who has made us all. Thou speakest 



38 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

to Him and hearest His word. Ask Him to give 
me life and health, and to come and dwell with us, 
that we may know Him." 

He then led the Httle captive to the side of M. 
Marquette. This was in return for the first present. 
Holding in his hand a calumet very highly carved 
and ornamented with feathers, he presented it to 
the father, saying : 

" This is the sacred calumet. It signifies that, 
wherever you bear it, you are the messengers of 
peace. All our tribes will respect it, and will pro- 
tect you from every harm." 

The bowl of the pipe was of some highly pol- 
ished red stone. The stem, elaborately decorated, 
was of a reed about two feet long. " By this pres- 
ent," said he, '' we wish to show our esteem for your 
chief, whom we must all revere after the account you 
have given us of him." The third and fourth pres- 
ents consisted, so far as we can judge from the rather 
obscure narrative, of two thick mats, one for each of 
the guests, to serve them for beds on their voyage. 
At the same time the chief said : 

" I beg of you, in behalf of the whole nation, not 
to go any farther down the river. Your lives will be 
in the greatest peril." 

" I repHed," Father Marquette writes, '' that I did 
not fear death, and that I esteemed no happiness 



ENTERPRISE OF JAMES MARQUETTE. 39 

greater than that of losing my Hfe for the glory of 
God, who made us all. But this, these poor people 
could not understand." 

The council now broke up, and a great feast was 
given. It consisted of four courses. The first much 
resembled what is called in New England hasty 
pudding. It consisted of Indian meal, and corn 
pounded fine, and boiled in an earthen pot, and was 
eaten with melted fat. The master of ceremonies 
took some on a wooden plate, and with a horn spoon, 
quite neatly made, fed the two Frenchmen as a 
mother feeds a child. 

The second course consisted of three boiled fishes. 
Carefully the bones were removed, and the Indian 
who served them placed the food in the mouths of 
their guests as before. He blew upon it, to be sure 
that it was sufficiently cool. For the third course 
there was brought forward a large baked dog. This 
was considered a great delicacy, and was deemed the 
highest compliment which could be shown to a guest. 
But the prejudices of the Frenchmen were such that 
they could not eat dog, and this dish was removed. 
The fourth course consisted of fat and tender cuts 
of bufifalo meat. This also was placed in their mouths 
as parents feed a child. 

There were three hundred wigwams in the village. 
After the feast the guests were led into each one of 



40 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

them, and introduced to the inmates. As they 
walked through the streets a large crowd accom- 
panied them. Some men, officiating as a kind of 
police, were continually haranguing the throng, urging 
the people not to press too close, and not to be 
troublesome. Many presents were made them of 
belts and scarfs woven from hair and fur, and other 
small articles of Indian manufacture, brilliantly col- 
ored and richly embroidered with shells. They had 
also knee-bands and wrist-bands which were quite 
ornamental. 

That night the guests slept in the wigwam of the 
chief. The next morning they took leave of their 
generous entertainers. The chief himself accompa- 
nied them to their canoes, followed by a retinue of 
nearly six hundred persons. 

We cannot record this friendly reception without 
emotion. How beautiful is peace! How different 
would the history of this world have been but for 
man's inhumanity to man ! 



CHAPTER II. 

The First Exploration of the Mississippi River, 

River Scenery. — The Missouri. — Its Distant Banks. — The Mosquito 
Pest, — Meeting the Indians. — Influence of the Calumet. — The 
Arkansas Rivier. — A Friendly Greeting. — Scenes in the Village. 
— Civilization of the Southern Tribes. — Domestic Habits. — Fear 
of the Spaniards. — The Return Voyage. 

Father Marquette and M. Joliet had astronomi- 
cal instruments with which they ascertained, with 
much accuracy, the latitude of all their important stop- 
ping places. As they state that the two villages, which 
they visited, were on the western side of the Missis- 
sippi, at the latitude of forty degrees north, and 
upon the banks of a stream flowing into the Great 
River, it is supposed that these villages were upon 
the stream now called Des Moines, which forms a part 
of the boundary between Iowa and Missouri. The 
Indians called the villages Pe-ou-a-sea and Moing- 
wena. They were probably situated about six miles 
above the present city of Keokuk. 

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, of a day 
near the end of sunny, blooming June, when our 
voyagers resumed their adventurous tour. Nearly 



42 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the whole tribe they had visited stood upon the bank 
to bid them adieu. They floated along through a 
very dreary country of precipitous rocks and jagged 
cliffs, which quite shut out from their view the mag- 
nificent prairie region which was spread out beyond 
this barrier. 

Upon the smooth surface of one of these rocks, 
apparently inaccessible, they saw, with surprise, two 
figures painted in very brilliant colors and with truly 
artistic outline. They thought that the painting 
would have done honor to any European artist. The 
figures were of two rather frightful looking monsters, 
about the size of a calf, in red, green, and black. 
Stoddard, in his history of Louisiana, says that these 
painted monsters, between the Missouri and the 
Illinois Rivers, still remain in a good degree of 
preservation. 

" As we were discoursing of them," writes Father 
Marquette, " sailing gently down a beautiful, still, 
clear water, we heard the noise of a rapid, into which 
we were about to fall. I have seen nothing more 
frightful. A mass of large trees, entire, with branches, 
real floating islands, came rushing from the mouth 
of the river Pekitunoul, so impetuously that we 
could not, without great danger, expose ourselves to 
pass across. The agitation was so great that the 
water was all muddy, and could not get clear." 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 43 

This was the rush and the roar of the incom- 
ing billows of the terrible Missouri, the most 
tremendous river upon this globe. It enters the 
Mississippi through a channel half a mile in breadth, 
rushing down with a sort of maniacal fury, from its 
sources among the Rocky Mountains at the distance 
of three thousand and ninety-six miles. Its whole 
course, from its rise to its entrance into the Gulf of 
Mexico, is four thousand three hundred and forty- 
nine miles. More than two hundred and fifty years 
after this, Mr. George Catlin ascended this river in 
the first steamer which ever ventured to breast its 
torrent. 

It took the steamer three months to ascend to 
the mouth of the Yellowstone, two thousand miles 
from the city of St. Louis. At this point the Amer- 
ican Fur Company had erected a very substantial 
fort, three hundred feet square, for the protection of 
their property against the savages. The banks of 
the stream were lined with the villages of the In- 
dians. Their wigwams were of a great variety of 
structure. The scenes presented were astonishing 
in their wild and picturesque aspect. Crowds of 
weird-like savages would often be collected on the 
bluffs, watching the appalling phenomenon of the 
passing steamer. 

The Missouri is different, perhaps, from any other 



44 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

river In the world. Its boiling, turbid waters rush 
impetuously on, in an unceasing current, for hun- 
dreds of leagues, with scarcely a cove, an eddy, or 
any resting place where a canoe can be tranquilly 
moored. The Indian name of the river signifies 
Muddy Water. It is so opaque, like a cup of choco- 
late, that a newly coined shilHng, placed in a tum- 
bler, cannot be seen through the eighth part of an 
inch of the water. 

For nearly a thousand miles the whole bed of 
the stream was impeded with gigantic trees, torn 
from the rich alluvial banks, forming snags and saw- 
yers and rafts, through which, often with difficulty, 
the steamer cut her way. Every island and sand- 
bar, was covered with dreary looking masses of drift- 
wood of every conceivable variety. 

This desolate and savage aspect of the rushing 
flood is much relieved by the aspect of marvellous 
beauty often presented on the banks. It was almost 
a fairy scene. Hills and vales, bluffs and ravines, were 
continually presented in successions of sublimity and 
beauty which charmed the eye. Prairies were often 
spread out before them of boundless expanse, upon 
which vast herds, often numbering thousands, of 
buffaloes, elks, and antelopes, were seen grazing. In 
the gloomy forests, wolves were roaming. Mountain 
goats bounded over the cHffs. And at times, the 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 45 

air seemed dg.rkened with the myriad birds which 
rose from the tall grass. 

There was one twelve-pound, and three or four 
eight-pound cannon on board the steamer. At 
every village which was passed, the banks would 
be crowded with the astounded natives. Mischiev- 
ously, the captain would order all the cannon to be 
simultaneously discharged. The effect upon the 
terrified savages was ludicrous in the extreme. 
They were all thrown into utter consternation. The 
more devout threw themselves upon the ground, and, 
hiding their faces, cried to the Great Spirit for pro- 
tection. The cowards, with the women and the 
children, ran screaming back into the prairie, or 
behind the hills. Occasionally, a little band of vet- 
eran warriors, the bravest of the brave, would stand 
their ground, ready to meet the terrors of even a su- 
pernatural foe. 

'* Sometimes," writes Catlin, "they were thrown 
neck and heels over each other's heads and shoulders 
— men, women, children and dogs; sage, sachem, old 
and young, all in a mass — at the frightful discharge 
of the steam from the escape-pipe, which the captain 
of the boat let loose among them, for his own fun and 
amusement." 

As our voyagers, in their birch bark canoes, passed 
the mouth of this wonderful stream, they had no 



46 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

conception of the scenes which were transpiring in 
thousands of Indian villages on its far-distant waters. 
They began now to think, from the course of the 
Mississippi, that it must flow into the Gulf of Mexico. 
They had however learned, from the Indians, that 
if they were to ascend the Missouri, or, as they 
called it, Pekitanoiil, five or six days' sail, they would 
come to a very beautiful prairie, ninety-five miles 
long. This splendid country, which was represented 
as an Eden of loveliness, the Indians said could be 
easily crossed, carrying their canoes. They could 
then take another river which ran southwest into a 
small lake. This was the source of another large and 
deep river, which emptied into the western sea. 

In subsequent years, this description of the Indians 
was found to be unexpectedly correct. By ascending 
the Missouri to the Platte River, and following that 
stream to its source among the Rocky Mountains, the 
traveller is brought within a few leagues of the Colo- 
rado, which flows into the Gulf of California. Having 
passed the dangerous rush of the Missouri, as it 
entered into the Mississippi, and floating upon the sur- 
face of their combined waters, they came, after the 
sail, as they judged, of about sixty miles, to the 
mouth of another large river, of gentle current, and 
whose waters were of crystal purity, flowing in from 
the east. The Indians very appropriately called it 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 47 

Wabash, which signified Beautiful River. The 
French subsequently called it La Belle Riviere. We 
have given it the name of Ohio, appropriating the 
name Wabash to one of its most important tributaries. 

The voyagers learned that this stream was fringed 
with a succession of Indian villages. The various 
tribes were peaceful, averse to war. In one district 
there was a cluster of twenty-three villages ; in 
another, of eighteen. But alas for man ! It would 
seem that the fallen children of Adam were deter- 
mined that there should be no happiness in this 
world. The ferocious Iroquois would send their war 
parties, hundreds of miles through the wilderness, to 
make unprovoked attacks upon these unwarlike peo- 
ple. They would rob them of their harvests, wan- 
tonly burn their wigwams, kill and scalp men, women, 
and children, and carry off captives to torture and 
burn at the stake, in barbarian festivities. 

Near the mouth of this river they found deposits 
of unctuous earth, having quite brilliantly the colors 
of red, purple, and violet. Father Hennepin rubbed 
some of the red upon his paddle. The constant use 
of that paddle in the water, for fifteen days, did 
not efface the color. This was a favorite resort of 
the Indians to obtain materials for painting their 
persons. 

They now entered the region of that terrible pest, 



48 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the mosquito. Elephants, Hons, tigers, can be 
exterminated. The mosquito bids defiance to all 
mortal powers. The Indians would build a scaffold- 
ing of poles, a mere grate-work, which would give free 
passage to smoke. A few pieces of bark, overhead, 
sheltered them from the rain, and the excessive heat 
of the sun. Upon these poles they slept, kindling 
smouldering fires beneath. They could better endure 
the suffocating fumes which thus enveloped them 
and drove away their despicable tormenters, than 
bear the poison of their stings. The voyagers were 
greatly annoyed by these insects. 

As they were thus swept down the infinite wind- 
ings of the stream, day after day, mostly at the will 
of the current, they perceived one morning', much to 
their surprise, a small band of Indians on the shore, 
armed with guns. The savages seemed very much 
at their ease, and waited the approach of the canoes. 
Father Hennepi n stood up and waved toward them 
his peace calumet, with its imposing decoration of 
feathers. His companions held their muskets in 
readiness to repel any assault. Drawing near the 
shore, the father addressed them in the Huron lan- 
guage. They did not understand him, but made 
friendly signs for the party to land. The Indians led 
the Frenchmen into their wigwams and feasted them 



>^ ^^^^H^^^ 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 49 

upon buffalo steaks, with bear's fat, and some very 
delicious wild plums. 

It appeared that these Indians were a band of 
warriors, probably from the Tuscarora nation. They 
had seen the Spaniards, on the Florida coast, and 
had purchased of them guns, axes, and knives. They 
kept their powder in strong glass bottles. From them 
they learned that a ten days' voyage down the rapid 
current of the Mississippi would bring them to the 
ocean. The indefatigable missionary endeavored to 
give them some idea of God, and of salvation through 
Jesus Christ, who came to seek and save the lost. 

And now, with renewed courage, our adventurers 
entered their canoes and resumed their paddles. 
The prairies, which had so long delighted their eyes, 
gradually disappeared, and the dense forest lined 
both sides of the stream. It was very evident, how- 
ever, that upon the other side of the forest-crowned 
eminences, the prairies continued to extend in all 
their sublimity and beauty ; for they often heard the 
bellowing, as the roar of distant thunders, from thou- 
sands of wild cattle roving the plains. 

They had now descended to nearly the thirty- 
third degree of north latitude, when they came to a 
large Indian vihage, situated upon a plain raised but 
a few feet above the level of the water. These 
Indians had undoubtedly received some great outrage 
3 



50 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

from the Spaniards ; for no sooner did they catch a 
sight of the Europeans than they were thrown into 
great commotion, and all their warriors ralHed for 
battle. They were evidently aware that a few men> 
armed with the dreadful musket, might overpower a 
large number who wielded only the Indian weapons 
of warfare. 

These warriors were armed with bows and arrows, 
javelins, and war clubs. They seemed to know that 
the invisible bullet could strike with death far beyond 
the reach of any of their missiles. They moved 
therefore with great caution. In those southern lat- 
itudes the birch tree, from whose bark the canoes of 
the northern Indians were made, did not thrive. 
Their boats were made of large logs, hollowed out 
and neatly shaped. They were often ornamented 
with infinite labor. Some of the warriors prepared 
to overwhelm the strangers with a shower of arrows 
from the land. Others embarked in their larger 
boats to ascend the river, and others to descend, so 
as to cut off all possibility of retreat. 

As the voyagers drew near the shore. Father 
Marquette stood up in his canoe, though exposed to 
imminent danger of being pierced by their arrows, 
and earnestly waved the calumet of peace, at the 
same time, as he writes, imploring the aid of " our 
patroness and guide, the Blessed Virgin Immaculate. 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 5 1 

And indeed," he continues, ** we needed her aid, for 
we heard, from afar, the Indians exciting one another 
to the combat by continual yells." 

In the terror and tumult of the moment the 
calumet had not been seen. But as soon as some of 
the chiefs caught sight of it, they rushed into the 
water, threw their bows and arrows into the canoes, 
which they seized and brought to the shore. Father 
Marquette and M. Joliet were so familiar with the 
customs of the Indians that they understood this to 
be a friendly movement, and they no longer felt any 
great anxiety ; though they were aware that, through 
some sudden outbreak of the savage sense of re- 
venge, they might lose their lives. The good father 
addressed them in six Indian languages, none of 
which they understood. At last an old man came 
forward, who spoke a little Illinois. 

Very friendly relations were soon established. 
They made the Indians several valuable presents, 
and informed them of their desire to find the way to 
the ocean. " They perfectly understood our mean- 
ing," writes Father Marquette, ** but I know not 
whether they understood what I told them of God, 
and the things which concerned their salvation. It 
is a seed cast in the earth, which will bear its fruit in 
season." 

The Indians, in return, presented them with corn, 



52 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

pounded into meal, and some fishes. They said that, 
at some distance farther down the river, there was a 
large village called Akamsea ; that there they could 
learn all they wished to know respecting the course 
and the out-flow of the Father of Waters. The voy- 
agers slept in the wigwams of the Indians during the 
night, though the father confesses that it was not 
without some uneasiness. The Akamsea, to which 
the Indians referred, was what we now call Arkansas. 

It is supposed that this village was near the 
Indian village of Guachoya, where the unhappy De 
Soto, whose romantic history we have given in a 
previous volume of this series, breathed his last, one 
hundred and fifty years before. In the narrative 
which has descended to us of that ill-fated and cruel 
expedition the historian writes : 

" The same day, July 2, 1543, that we left Amin- 
oya, we passed by Guachoya, where the Indians tar- 
ried for us in their canoes." 

It was at Aminoya that De Moscoso, who suc- 
ceeded De Soto, built his little fleet of seven strong 
barges, with which the Spaniards descended, in a 
voyage of sixteen days, to the mouth of the river. 
The Spaniards were as ignorant of the sources of the 
mighty river upon which they were sailing, as were 
the French of the termination of the majestic flood, 
which they had discovered nearly two thousand 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 53 

miles, far. away amidst the lakes and prairies of the 
north. 

The next morning, at an early hour, the French- 
men resumed their voyage. A party of ten Indians 
accompanied them, leading the way in one of their 
large boats. The old man, who understood a little 
of the Illinois language, also went with them as an 
interpreter. When they had descended the river 
nearly thirty miles, and were within about a mile and 
a half of the Arkansas village, they saw two boats, 
crowded with warriors, push out from the shore, and 
advancing to meet them. The keen eyes of the sav- 
ages had probably discerned the Indian boat which 
led the frail canoes of the Frenchmen. They knew 
that persons thus approaching could come with no 
hostile attempt. 

The chief of this party, distinguished by his gor- 
geous dress, stood up in his boat, and, waving the 
plumed calumet, sung, in a very plaintive but agree- 
able tone, some Indian ode of welcome. He came 
with smiles and friendly signs alongside of the two 
birch canoes which kept close together. First, hav- 
ing taken a few whiffs from the pipe, he presented 
it to them to smoke. Then, having given them 
some bread, made of Indian meal, he made signs for 
them to follow him to the shore. 

The chief had a large scaffolding, such as we 



54 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

have before described, as a protection from the mos- 
quitoes. It also afforded a cool shelter from the 
rays of an almost tropical sun. The ground floor 
was carpeted with very fine rush mats. In the centre 
of this spacious awning, the Frenchmen were seated, 
as in the post of honor. The head chief, with his 
subordinates, surrounded them. Then the encircling 
warriors, several hundred in number, took their 
seats. A motley but perfectly orderly crowd of men, 
women, and children gathered around as witnesses of 
the scene. 

Fortunately there was a young warrior there who 
had travelled, and who was much more famiHar with 
the Illinois language than the old man who had 
accompanied the voyagers as interpreter. 

" Through him," says the faithful missionary, " I 
first spoke to the assembly by the ordinary presents. 
They admired what I told them of God, and the 
mysteries of our holy faith, and showed a great 
desire to keep me with them to instruct them." 

In answer to inquiries in reference to the sea, 
they said that it could be easily reached, in their 
canoes, in ten days. They, however, stated that 
they knew but little about the nations who inhab- 
ited the lower part of the river, because they were 
their enemies. These Indians had hatchets, knives, 
and beads. This proved that, in some way, they 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 55 

had held intercourse with Europeans. Upon being 
consulted on this question, it appeared that they 
had obtained them through the Spaniards in Florida 
and Mexico. They warned the voyagers not to go 
any farther down the river, as they would certainly 
be attacked and destroyed by the war parties of 
these hostile bands. 

While this conference was going on, which con- 
tinued for several hours, the Indians were continually 
presenting their guests with plates of food, which 
consisted principally of meal-pudding, roast corn, and 
dogs' flesh. The Indians were very courteous. But 
it was not a powerful or war-like tribe. They often 
had but a meagre supply of food, as the ferocity of 
their surrounding enemies prevented them from 
wandering far in pursuit of game. 

Their main reliance was upon corn. They sowed 
it at all seasons, raising three crops a year. While 
some fields were just sprouting, others were in the 
soft and milky state suitable for roasting, and other 
fields were waving with the ripe and golden harvest. 
These southern tribes were generally much more 
advanced in the arts than those farther north. 
They manufactured many quite admirable articles 
of pottery for household use. It is said that some 
of them were hardly inferior in form and finish to the 
exquisite vases found in Herculaneum and Pompeii. 



56 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Still they were in many respects degraded sav- 
ages, of loathsome habits, but little elevated above 
the brutes. Many of the men wandered about with- 
out any clothing. The women were not regarded 
with any honor. They were beasts of burden, 
dressed in wretched skins, without any ornaments. 
Their wigwams were long and wide, made of bark, 
with a single central entrance. Almost like the cat- 
tle, they slept together at the two extremities, upon 
mat-covered elevations, raised about two feet from 
the ground. From the description of Father Mar- 
quette, we should infer that, in this melancholy vil- 
lage, the chiefs alone enjoyed the luxury of sleeping 
upon poles enveloped with suffocating smoke to 
drive away the mosquitoes. 

" We ate no fruit there," writes Marquette, " but 
watermelons. If they knew how to cultivate their 
grounds they might have plenty of all kinds." 

In the evening M. Johet and Father Marquette 
held a conference in reference to their future course. 
They had ascertained that they were at 33° 40' north 
latitude. The basin of the Gulf of Mexico was at 31° 
40'. Though the Indians had said that they could 
reach the sea in ten days, it was manifest that they 
could easily accomplish the distance in four or five. 
The question was consequently settled that the 
Mississippi ran into the Gulf of Mexico. To decide 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 5/ 

this point was the great object of their voyage. 
Spanish outrages had exasperated aU the Indians 
along the southern coast. The voyagers could not 
prosecute their enterprise any farther, but at the 
imminent peril of their lives. Should they thus 
perish, the result of their discoveries would, for a 
long time, be lost to the world. 

They feared the Spaniards even more than they 
did the savages. The Spaniards, jealous of the 
power of France, would certainly hold them as pris- 
oners, if they could take them, and would not 
improbably put them to death to prevent the fact of 
their having descended the whole course of the 
Mississippi from being known. They therefore 
wisely determined to retrace their steps with all 
energy. On the 17th of July they left the village of 
Akamsea, near the mouth of the Arkansas River, to 
stem the strong current of the Mississippi on their 
return. At high-water the vast flood, a mile in 
width, rushed along at the rate of five or six miles 
an hour. They found it very difficult to force their 
way against this current. We have no particular 
account of the incidents of their long and laborious 
return voyage. When they had reached the latitude 
of thirty-eighth degree north, they came to the 
mouth of the lUinois River. The Indians informed 

them that this would be a shorter route to Lake 
1* 



58 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Michigan than to go up the Mississippi still farther 
to the Wisconsin River. They therefore entered this 
stream, which takes its rise Avithin six miles of the 
lake. In the glowing account which Father Mar- 
quette gives of this river, he writes : 

** We had seen nothing like this river for the fertil- 
ity of the land, its prairies, woods, wild cattle, stags, 
deer, wild-cats, bustards, swans, ducks, parrots, and 
even beavers. It has many little lakes and tributary 
rivers. The stream on which we sailed is broad, 
deep, and gentle, for sixty-five leagues. During the 
spring, and part of the summer, when the rivers 
are full, the portage is only a mile and a half in 
length." 

They ascended the IlHnois until, by a short por- 
tage, they could transport their canoes across the 
prairie to the Chicago River. Descending this 
stream to its mouth, w^here the thronged city of 
Chicago now stands, but which was then only a 
dreary expanse of marshy prairie, they paddled up 
the western coast of Lake Michigan until they 
reached the mission at Green Bay, about the middle 
of September. About two months were spent in 
the toilsome voyage from Arkansas. 

General Wool, Inspector-General of the army of 
the United States, has made, from a personal 
acquaintance with the route, the following estimate 



EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 59 

of the distances of the several stages of this eventful 
journey : 

From Green Bay up Fox River to the portage 175 miles. 

From the portage down the Wisconsin to the Mississippi .175 
From the mouth of the Wisconsin to the mouth of the 

Arkansas 1087 " 

From the Arkansas to the Illinois River 547 " 

From the mouth of the Illinois to Chicago 305 " 

From Chicago to Green Bay, by the lake shore 260 " 

Total 2,549 

The accompanying fac-simile of a map attached 
to Marquette's Journal, reduced from the original, 
and which we take from Mr. Sparks's brief but 
admirable sketch of Marquette's Life, will give the 
reader a very clear idea of the route he pursued. 
The dotted line from the Mississippi to the Illinois, 
marked '' Chemin du retour," is evidently a mistake, 
added by some other hand. It is clear, from the 
narrative, that the voyagers returned up the Illinois 
River. 

Father Marquette, who was never known to utter 
a murmuring word, and who was serene and cheerful 
amidst the sorest trials, was so utterly exhausted by 
the toils of the expedition that he could proceed no 
farther than Green Bay. Here M. Joliet separated 
from him and continued his route, in a birch canoe, 
along the vast expanse of Huron, Erie, and Ontario, 
and down the St. Lawrence to Montreal. In 



6o THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

descending the rapids of the river his canoe was over- 
set and all his papers lost, he narrowly escaping with 
his life. He subsequently dictated, from memory, a 
few pages of the incidents of the voyage ; but the 
manuscript of Father Marquette alone remained to 
tell the wondrous story. This was sent to France, 
and there published. 

Even Marquette had no conception of the true 
grandeur of that valley he had entered, extending 
from the Alleghany ridges to the Rocky Mountains. 
Still, when the tidings o( his wonderful discoveries 
reached Quebec, the exciting intelligence was received 
with the ringing of bells, with salvos of artillery, and, 
most prominent and important of all, by nearly the 
whole population, led by the clergy and other digni- 
taries of the place, going in procession to the cathe- 
dral where the Te Deum was sung in thanksgiving 
to God. 



CHAPTER III. 

Marqitettes Last Voyage, and Death, 

The Departure from Green Bay. — Navigating the Lake in a canoe. — 
Storms of rain and snow. — Night Encampments. — Ascending 
the Chicago River. — A Winter with the Savages. — Journey to 
the Kankakee. — The Great Council on the Prairie. — Interesting 
Incidents. — The Escort of Savages. — The Death Scene. — Sub- 
lime Funeral Solemnities. 

Father Marquette spent the winter and the 
whole summer of 1674 at Green Bay, actively engaged 
in the services of the mission, though in a very feeble 
state of health. It is said that he was remarkably 
genial and companionable, fond of pleasantry, ever 
greeting others with pleasant words and benignant 
smiles. He had promised the lUinois Indians that 
he would return to them, to teach them the religion 
of peace and good-will brought to the world by the 
Son of God. 

His health being somewhat recruited, he set out, 
by direction of his superiors, with two boatmen, 
Pierre and Jacques, to establish a mission among 
these Indians, who were anxiously awaiting his arri- 
val. The mission at Green Bay was at the southern 



62 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

extremity of that inland sea. Taking their canoe 
and all their effects upon their shoulders, they crossed 
the peninsula, which separated the bay from the lake, 
through an Indian trail about thirty miles in length. 
They then launched their canoe upon the broad sur- 
face of Lake Michigan. The cold gales of Novem- 
ber had now begun to plough the surface of this 
inland sea. Their progress was very slow. Often 
the billows were such that the canoe could not ride 
safely over them. Then they landed, and, in the 
chill November breezes, trudged along the shore, 
bearing all their effects upon their shoulders ! 

Ice formed upon the margin of the water, and 
several snow-storms impeded their march, adding 
greatly to their discomfort. But not a repining word 
escaped the lips of Father Marquette. It was but a 
dismal shelter they could rear, for the night, on the 
bleak shore. Through this exposure his health began 
rapidly to fail. It took them nearly four weeks to 
reach the mouth of the Chicago River. They as- 
cended the river several leagues, until they came to 
a small cluster of Indian wigwams. The savages 
were poor, but few in number, and their abodes com- 
fortless. But Pere Marquette was so sick that they 
could go no farther. These Indians were of the 
Miami tribe. 

Here the voyagers built a small log-cabin, and, 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 63 

destitute of what many would deem the absolute ne- 
cessaries of life, passed the remaining weeks of the 
dreary winter. One would suppose that the lone 
missionary must at times have contrasted painfully 
his then situation, with the luxuries he had enjoyed 
in the ancestral castle in which he was cradled. A 
few wretched wigwams were scattered over the 
snow-whitened plains, where poverty, destitution, and 
repulsive social habits reigned, such as is perhaps 
never witnessed in civilized life. 

His home was but a cabin of logs, with the inter- 
stices stuffed with moss. The roof was covered with 
bark. The window was merely a hole cut through 
the logs. In storms a piece of cloth hung over it, 
which partially kept out wind and rain. The fire- 
place was one corner of the room, with a hole in the 
roof through which the smoke ascended. Often the 
state of the atmosphere was such that the cabin was 
filled with smothering smoke. A few mats, woven 
coarsely from bulrushes, covered a portion of the 
earth floor. A mat was his bed. A log, covered with 
a mat, was his chair ; his food was pounded corn, 
arid fishes and flesh of animals, broiled on the coals ; 
his companions, savages. Such was the home which 
this noble man had cheerfully accepted in exchange 
for the baronial splendors of his ancestors. It was 
two hundred years ago. Father Marquette has re- 



64 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

ceived his rewards. His earthly labors and sacrifices 
were for but about twenty years. For two hundred 
years he has occupied a mansion, which God reared 
for him in heaven. There he is now, with his 
crown, his robe, and his harp, with angel companion- 
ship. And there he is to dwell forever. 

There is something exceedingly beautiful in the 
simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. God, in the per- 
son of his Son, came to earth and suffered and died 
to make atonement for human sin. All who will 
abandon sin, and try to live doing nothing wrong, 
and endeavoring to do everything that is right, He 
will forgive, and make forever happy in heaven. 

This is the Gospel ; the Good News. God is no 
respecter of persons ; but in every nation, he that 
feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted 
with him. The loitering Indians, ignorant, degraded, 
wicked, gathered in constant groups around the fire, 
in the cabin of the sick Christian teacher. And 
when he told them of that happy world where they 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, and 
where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, 
the truth came home to their hearts, and became its 
own witness. 

And yet here, as elsewhere, the Gospel of Jesus 
found its bitter antagonists. With the Indians, as 
in every city and town in Christendom, there were 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 65 

those who did not wish to be holy. They hated a 
Gospel which demanded the abandonment of sin. 
These men, with bloody tomahawks and gory scalp- 
ing knives, and who, from infancy, had been practis- 
ing the hideous war-whoop ; who consider the glory 
of their manhood to depend upon the number of 
enemies they had slain, and whose greatest delight 
consisted in listening to the shrieks, and witnessing 
the convulsions of their agonized victims at the 
stake, denounced the Christian teacher, as the Jews 
denounced the Son of God, crying out " Crucify 
him." 

Every day Father Marquette was sinking in lan- 
guor, which both he and his companions supposed to 
be a monition of speedily approaching death. And yet 
he was a cheerful and happy man. All incomers at his 
cabin were greeted with smiles. Death had no ter- 
ror. Brighter and brighter grew the path, as he drew 
nearer to the celestial city. His logTcabin was contin- 
ually crowded with those who sought instruction. 
The two humble companions who attended him, 
were devout men, though uneducated, and in life's 
lowly station. They joined heartily in the devotions 
of the cabin. The voices of the three were joined in 
matins and vespers, and floated sweetly over those 
dreary wastes, where such heavenly strains had never 
been heard before. 



66 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Louis XIV. was then upon the throne of France. 
He was one of the greatest, most powerful, most opu- 
lent of all earthly monarchs. The wealth and the ge- 
nius of earth could construct nothing more grand than 
his palaces at Marly and Versailles. His banqueting- 
hall was unsurpassed by any other hall ever reared 
upon this globe. His chambers, his saloons, his gal- 
leries, are still visited by astonished and admiring 
thousands. And yet no one, familiar with his life, 
will deny that Father Marquette, in his log-cabin, 
surrounded by Indian wigwams, probably passed a 
happier winter than did Louis XIV., amidst the most 
dazzling splendors which ever surrounded a mortal. 

Christmas came. It was made by the three a 
season of special devotion, that God would so rein- 
vigorate Father Marquette, as to enable him to ful- 
fil his promise, and visit the Ilhnois Indians, and 
teach them the Gospel. These devotions were called 
a Novena, which was a nine days' prayer-meeting. 
Their prayers were heard. Contrary to all reasonable 
expectation, he so far regained his strength as to be 
able, on the 29th of March, to resume his journey. 
The chill winds of departing winter still swept the 
plains. Storms of sleet often beat upon them. The 
ground, alternately thawing and freezing, was fre- 
quently whitened with snow. And still these heroic 
men, with chivalry never surpassed in the annals of 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 6/ 

knighthood, pressed on. Their journey was slow. 
Sometimes they floated upon the stream. Again 
they followed the Indian trail through forest and 
prairie. After traversing a route about a hundred 
and fifty miles in length, they reached, on the 8th 
of April, the Kankakee River, an important tributary 
of the Illinois. At this point, which is now in the 
present county of Kankakee, and near where the 
village of Rockport stands, the Illinois Indians had 
their large and populous village. 

The missionary was received, we are told, as an 
angel from heaven. He assembled all the chiefs of 
the tribe, with the renowned warriors, that with im- 
posing ceremonies he might announce to them the 
object of his coming, and impress them with the 
momentous importance of his message. There was 
no wigwam sufficiently capacious to accommodate 
such a multitude as the occasion would assemble. 

Near the village there was a smooth, verdant, 
beautiful j^rairie, richly carpeted with the velvet 
green of early spring. On a mild and sunny morn- 
ing a wonderful crowd of savages — men, women, and 
children — were seen crowding to the appointed sta- 
tion. The chiefs were dressed in truly gorgeous 
habiliments, of plumes, skins richly embroidered and 
fringed, and brilliantly colored. Their robes were 
more showy than any court-dress ever witnessed at 



68 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Windsor Castle or the Tuileries. The warriors, with 
proud demeanor and stately tread, marched along, 
with quivers of arrows at their backs, and bows in their 
hands. Tomahawks and scalping knives were ostenta- 
tiously displayed, and the scalps of enemies dangled 
at their javelin points, as badges of their nobility. 
Of these they were more proud than were ever Eng- 
lish, French, or Spanish grandees of the decoration 
of stars or garters. The women and the dogs came 
next. They were alike regarded as necessary drudges 
to bear burdens, and to be fed with the refuse which 
their masters left. Then came the boys and girls, 
many of them half naked, shouting, laughing, racing, 
engaging in all the uncouth merriment of a savage 
gala day. 

The spot selected for the council was decorated 
according to the most approved fashion of the peo- 
ple and their times. The ground was covered with 
mats, made of the skins of bears and other animals. 
Posts were planted, draped and festooned with green 
boughs. Upon each of the four sides of the square, 
the good father, who had ever been taught to regard 
with the utmost veneration the Mother of Jesus, hung 
a picture of the Blessed Virgin, that all might gaze 
upon her sad yet beautiful features. 

Father Marquette took his seat upon a mat, in 
the centre of the enclosure. Then the chiefs, and 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 69 

the veteran warriors, who in many a bloody foray 
had won renown, took their seats around him. 
Silently and with the dignity becoming great men, 
they assumed their positions. The young men, who 
had not yet signalized themselves, and who were ever 
eager to go upon the war-path, that they might return 
with their trophies of gory scalps, to receive the 
applause of the nation as braves, came next. 

In respect to the war spirit, which is one of the 
most direful traits of our fallen -race, there is but lit- 
tle difference between the civilized and uncivilized 
man. I was once breakfasting with one of the most 
distinguished officers of a European army. To my 
question whether the officers generally wished for 
peace or war, he replied : 

** War, of course. In times of peace promotion 
comes slowly. But upon the battle field promotions 
are very rapidly made." 

The young warriors counted about fifteen hun- 
dred. Outside of their circle, the women and the 
children were clustered. It was estimated that the 
whole population of the village amounted to about 
three thousand. 

The Illinois Indians were at war with the Miamis, 
among whom Father Marquette had passed the 
winter. The Illinois chiefs had obtained of the traders 
a few guns. Immediately upon Marquette reaching 



70 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

their village, they hastened to entreat of him powder 
and ball, that they might fit out an expedition against 
their foes. Father Marquette rose at the council, and 
after presenting the chiefs with some valuable gifts, 
in token of the sincerity of his desire to be their friend 
and do them good, addressed them in substance as 
follows : 

'* I have not brought you any powder or balls. 
I do not wish you to fight your brethren the Miamis. 
You are all the children of the same Father. You 
should love one another. I have come to tell you 
of God, and to teach you to pray. God, the Great 
Spirit, came to the world, and became a man, whose 
name was Jesus. He died upon the cross to atone 
for the sins of all men. And now, if you will cease 
to sin ; if you will love your Father, the Great Spirit, 
pray to Him and do everything in your power to 
please Him, He will bless you, and when you die will 
take you to dwell with Him and will make you 
happy forever." 

Such was, in general, the address of Father Mar- 
quette. Such was ever, in substance, his teaching. 
Jesus the Christ, and Him crucified, was his constant 
theme. Two or three days were spent in similar 
exercises. The Indians crowded around the father 
constantly. They hstened to his teachings with 
respectful and apparently with even joyful attention. 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 7 1 

He was pale and emaciate. Even the Indians could 
perceive, from his feeble voice and emaciate steps, 
that he was not far from the grave. On Easter 
Sunday, the faithful missionary, with solemn and 
imposing ceremonies, took, if we may so speak, 
spiritual possession of the land, in the name of 
Jesus Christ. 

The rapidly failing health of the missionary, 
rendered it expedient for him to endeavor to return 
to his friends at Green Bay. The poor Indians 
really mourned at the idea of his departure. Time 
hung heavily upon their hands. They had but little 
to think .of, and but little to do. Loitering indolently 
around, from morning till night, it was a great 
source of enjoyment to them, to crowd the large 
wigwam they had built for the father, to listen to 
his words, to question him, and to witness the cere- 
monies with which he was accustomed to conduct 
his devotions. They were therefore much troubled 
at the thought of his departure, and were but par- 
tially comforted by his repeated assurances that he 
would either soon return again, or send some one 
else to continue the mission which he had thus 
commenced. 

Slowly and feebly he set out on his long journey 
back to Green Bay. It was ninety miles from Kan- 
kakee to the southern extremity of Lake Michigan. 



72 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

They could paddle in canoes over a portion of the 
route. But there were also weary miles of portage 
which they had to pass over, through Indian trails, 
carrying their canoe, and all their effects, upon their 
backs. It was a severe undertaking for a sick man, 
who was so feeble that even if a horse could have 
been provided for him to ride, he could scarcely have 
held himself upon the saddle. 

A large party of the Indians accompanied the 
father, on this weary journey to the lake. They 
administered to his wants with the tenderest care, 
relieving him of every burden, and aiding him over 
the rough ways. At the night encampments, they 
provided for him a shelter, kindled his fire, cooked 
his food, and spread for him a couch of leaves and 
twigs. When they reached a small stream, which 
ran into the lake, they placed him as comfortably 
as possible in his canoe, and intrusting him to the 
care of his two faithful boatmen, Jacques and Pierre, 
bade him an affectionate farewell. 

The savages, after these deeds of almost Christian 
kindness, returned to their wigwams, to sharpen the 
edges of their tomahawks, the points of their javelins, 
the barbs of their arrows ; and were soon, with hide- 
ous yells, 'rushing upon their foes the Miamis, burn- 
ing, killing, scalping — performing deeds of cruelty 
which ought to cause even demons to blush. 



MARQUETTE S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 73 

Father Marquette was too weak to wield the 
paddle. He reclined in the bottom of the canoe, 
with his head shghtly elevated, so that he could see 
all the beauties of the scenery through which they 
were passing. His prayer-book was in his hand ; 
his talk was of heaven ; he was cheerful and happy. 
His companions have testified to the wonderful 
amiability, gentleness, and joy he maintained. He 
told them plainly that he should die upon the voy- 
age, but encouraged them to bear courageously all 
the hardships they were to encounter on the way, 
assuring that the Lord would not forsake them. 

As his attendants phed their paddles he read 
prayers to them, sang sweet hymns of devotion, and 
in many fervent utterances commended them and 
himself to God. He was in no pain. His eye 
sparkled with animation. His soul was triumphant. 
It may be doubted whether, on the broad continent 
of North America, there were, in these hours, an 
individual to be found more happy than he. 

It was one of the mornings of lovely May, when 
this frail birch canoe, with its three inmates, emer- 
ging from a small stream, entered upon the ocean-like 
expanse of Lake Michigan. On the north and the 
east the majestic inland sea spread out to the hori- 
zon, with no bounds but the sky. For some unex- 
plained reason they decided to take the eastern 
4 



74 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

shore of the lake, on their return voyage, though 
their outward voyage had been by the western 
shore. They had still a journey of three hundred 
miles before them. 

Father Marquette was so weak that he could no 
longer help himself. He could neither move nor 
stand, and had to be carried from the canoe to the 
shore like an infant. At each encampment the 
attendants would draw the canoe, with Father Mar- 
quette in it, gently upon the beach. They would 
then hastily rear a shelter, spread for him a couch of 
the long and withered herbage, and lay him tenderly 
upon it. The only food they could prepare for the 
fainting invalid, was corn pounded into coarse meal, 
mixed with water, and baked in the ashes, with per- 
haps a sHce of game broiled upon the coals. 

Thus they moved along, day after day, expect- 
ing almost every hour that the death summons 
would come. On Friday evening, the 27th of May, 
1675, he told them, with a countenance radiant with 
joy, that on the morrow he should take his departure 
for his heavenly home. 

He gave them minute instructions respecting 
the place he wished to be selected for his burial; 
directed how to arrange his hands and feet, and how 
to wrap him in his robes, for he could have no coffin. 
While one was to read the burial service the other 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 75 

was gently to toll the small chapel bell which he 
bore with him on his mission. The canoe was glid- 
ing along near the shore, as the father gave these 
instructions, reclining upon his mat. The setting 
sun was sinking apparently into the shoreless waters 
of the lake, in the west. They were all examining 
the land, the boatmen searching for a suitable spot 
for their night's encampment, and the father look- 
ing for a good place for his dying bed and his 
burial. 

They came to the mouth of a small, pleasant 
river, which presented a sheltered cove for their 
canoe. There was an eminence near by, crowned 
by a beautiful grove, and commanding a wide pros- 
pect of the lake and of the land. It had a sunny 
exposure, drained of moisture, and composed of just 
Such soil as seems suitable for a grave. Father Mar- 
quette pointed to the eminence in the lone, silent, 
solitary wilderness, and said, " There is the spot for 
my last repose." 

The boatmen ran their canoe up the mouth of 
the river, a few rods, and landed. Hastily they 
threw up a frail camp, kindled a fire, spread down a 
mat for a couch, and placed their revered spiritual 
father upon it. He was then left entirely alone, 
with his God, while his companions were engaged in 
unloading the canoe. They were silent and sad, for 



76 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

they could not but perceive that the dying hour 
was at hand. 

When they returned, Father Marquette gave them 
his last instructions. " I thank you, my dear com- 
panions," he said, ** for all the love and tenderness 
you have shown me during this voyage. I beg you 
to pardon me for the trouble I have given you. Will 
you also say to all my fathers and brethren in the Ot- 
towa mission that I implore their forgiveness for my 
imperfections. I am now very near my home. But 
I shall not forget you in heaven. You are very weary 
with the toils of the day. I shall still live probably 
for several hours. I wish you would retire and take 
that rest which you so greatly need. I will call you 
as soon as the last moments arrive." 

They left the cabin with stricken hearts and weep- 
ing eyes. The dying Christian was left alone with 
his God. Who can imagine the peace and joy which 
must then have filled his heart and suffused his eyes. 
The victory was won. Death was conquered. The 
chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof were wait- 
ing at the door of the humble cabin, to transport the 
victor, through the pathways of the stars, to his 
throne and his crown. Glorious death! Blissful 
journey ! 

Three hours passed away, and his feeble voice 
was heard calling his companions to his side. He 



MARQUETTE'S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. "jy 

threw his arms around the neck of each one, and 
drawing him gently down imprinted a kiss upon each 
cheek. Then, taking the crucifix, which he ever wore 
around his neck, he placed it in the hands of one of 
them, requesting him to hold that emblem of the 
atoning sacrifice of his Saviour before his eyes until 
the last moment. Then, inspired with the faith of 
Stephen the Martyr, clasping his hands and fixing his 
eyes upon this memorial of God manifest in the flesh, 
in fervent prayer he said : 

'•'■ O Lord God, I thank Thee for the boundless 
grace Thou hast conferred upon me in permitting me 
to die in the service of Jesus Christ Thy Son. O 
God, I thank Thee, that I have been His missionary ; 
and that I am permitted to die, in a cabin, in the 
depths of the forest, and far removed from all human 
aid." 

There were a few moments of perfect silence. 
No sound fell upon the ear but the gentle breathing 
of the dying man. He was then heard feebly to say, 
*' I know that my Redeemer liveth." Again he said, 
in accordance with the faith which he had received 
from childhood, '' Mary! Mother of Jesus my Lord, 
remember me." 

Suddenly he raised his eyes from the crucifix and 
looked upward, as if a vision of wonderful glory was 
bursting upon his entranced view. His countenance 



yS THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

shone radiant with joy. A sweet smile was upon his 
lips. Without a struggle, without a sigh, his soul 
took its flight to its home in heaven. He had fallen 
asleep. 

" Asleep in Jesus ! Far from thee. 

Thy kindred and their graves may be. 
But thine is still a blessed sleep. 

From which none ever wake to weep." 

His two bereaved companions wept bitterly. 
They laid out the body as directed ; wrapped it in 
the threadbare garments it so long had worn, and 
having dug the grave, placed the revered remains 
within it. While one devotedly covered the body 
with its mother earth, the other tolled the Httle bell 
which had so often summoned them to prayer. They 
remained upon the spot until the next day. A large 
cross was made, and planted firmly in the ground, in 
a position which would attract the attention of all 
passing along the shore of the lake. The two faith- 
ful boatmen, Jacques and Pierre, then, after kneeling 
upon the grave in fervent prayer, returned to their 
canoe and continued the long journey to Green Bay. 
They reached the mission in safety, with their sad 
tidings. 

Father Marquette died at the early age of thirty- 
eight. 

He had spent twenty-one years an earnest, self- 



MARQUETTE S LAST VOYAGE AND DEATH. 79 

denying minister of Jesus Christ. Twelve of these 
were in France. Nine were devoted to the savages 
of the New World. At the early age of nine years, 
he became an earnest Christian. Every Saturday 
was, with this wonderful child, a day of fasting and 
prayer. 

There were quite a number of Christian Indians at 
the Mackinaw mission. They had long • known 
Father Marquette, and revered and loved him. A 
band of these Indians were, some months after this, 
on the shores of Lake Michigan, upon a hunting ex- 
cursion. They sought out the grave of Father 
Marquette. They took up the remains, carefully 
enclosed them in a box of birch bark, placed them in 
one of their canoes, and paddled them, thr^e hun- 
dred miles, to the mission of St. Ignatius. 

A convoy of canoes, thirty in number, in single 
file, formed this wonderful funeral procession. It is 
doubtful whether such a scene was ever before wit- 
nessed on this globe. For more than ten days this 
band of Indian hunters, in their picturesque costume, 
silently and solemnly paddled along the shores of 
the lonely lake, that the remains of their beloved 
pastor might repose where they could visit the spot, 
and honor them with their testimonials of gratitude. 

As they approached the shore, where the mission 
was established, with its cross-surmounted chapel, 



80 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

surrounded with Indian wigwams, a courier was 
sent forward rapidly, in a canoe, to arinounce the 
arrival of the cortege. The whole community 
promptly gathered upon the beach. A funeral pro- 
cession was formed, led by Fathers Nouvel and Pier- 
son, who were Superiors of the two missions, one to 
the Ottawas, and one to the Hurons, which were 
located side by side. Interrogations were first made 
to verify the fact, that the body they bore was really 
that of Father Marquette. 

The two ecclesiastics then chanted the sublime 
anthem, 

" Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. 

Lord, hear my voice ; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my 

supplications." 

The canoes were still on the water", while quite a 
throng of the Indians crowded the shore. With the 
customary religious ceremonies, the body was con- 
veyed to the chapel. It remained there for a day, 
covered with a pall. On the morning of the next 
day, which was the ninth of June, the remains were 
deposited in a grave, in the middle of the log chapel, 
which we infer had no floor but the earth ; there to 
repose until the trump of the archangel shall sound, 
when all who are in their graves shall come forth. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Life upon the St, Lawrence and the Lakes Two 
Hundred Years Ago, 

Birth of La Salle. — His Parentage and Education. — Emigrates to 
America. — Enterprising Spirit. — Grandeur of his Conceptions. — 
Visits the Court of France. — Preparations for an Exploring 
Voyage. — Adventures of the River and Lake. — Awful Scene of 
Indian Torture, — Traffic with the Indians. — The Ship-yard at 
Lake Erie. 

About two hundred years ago, a young man, by 
the name of Robert de la Salle, crossed the Atlan- 
tic to seek his fortune in the wilds of Canada. He 
was born on the 22d of November, 1643, in the city 
of Rouen, the ancient capital of Normandy,^^ France. 
He was the child of one of the most distinguished 
families, and enjoyed all the advantages of social and 
educational culture which the refinement and schol- 
arship of those times could confer. He was by 
nature a thoughtful, pensive young man, whose soul 
was profoundly moved by the unsearchable mystery 
of this our earthly being. In very early life he found, 
in the religion of Jesus, a partial solution of the sub- 

* De La Salle among the Senecas, in 1669. By O. H. Marshall, 
Buffalo Historical Society. 

4* 



82 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

lime drama of conflict, sin, and sorrow which is being 
enacted on this globe, and which has no solution 
whatever but in the revelations of the Bible. 

Born almost beneath the shadow of the great 
cathedral of Rouen, and of an ancestry which from 
time immemorial had been the children of the Cath- 
olic Church, and instructed from infancy by revered 
ecclesiastics of that communion, he almost as a mat- 
ter of necessity accepted Christianity as presented 
to him in the ritual of the Church of Rome. Nature 
had endowed him with a restless, enterprising spirit, 
which led him eagerly to plunge into those wild and 
perilous adventures from which most persons would 
have turned with dismay. 

La Salle received an accomplished education in 
one of the best seminaries in Europe. Upon gradu- 
ating, he received from the professors a testimonial 
of his high intellectual attainments and his unblem- 
ished moral character. About the year 1669 he 
sailed from France for Canada. His object proba- 
bly was to accumulate a fortune by the barter of 
European commodities for the furs and skins 
obtained by the Indians. He pushed forward to 
the frontiers, estabHshed trading houses, and in the 
well-freighted birch canoe, explored remote lakes 
and rivers. 

At that time the whole of the great northwest 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 83 

of this country was an entirely unknown land. No 
one knew whether the continent was one thousand 
or ten thousand miles in breadth. It was the gen- 
eral impression that the waves of the Pacific were 
dashing against the rocks a few miles west of the 
chain of great lakes which fringed the southern 
shores of Canada. La Salle was meditating an 
expedition up the St. Lawrence, through the majes- 
tic chain of lakes to Lake Superior, from the western 
end of which he confidently expected to find easy 
communication with the Pacific Ocean. There he 
would again spread his adventurous sail, having dis- 
covered a new route to China and the Indies. 

There was grandeur in this conception. It would 
entirely change the thoroughfare of the world's com- 
merce. It would make the French possessions in 
the New World valuable beyond conception. This 
all-important route, between Europe and Asia, 
would be under the control of the French crown. 

M. Frontenac, an ambitious and energetic 
Frenchman, was then governor-general of Canada. 
He entered cordially into the plans of La Salle, con- 
ferred frequently with him upon the subject, and 
was sanguine in the expectation that, by this great 
discovery, his own name would be immortalized, and 
he would secure the highest applause from the 
Grande Monarque, Louis XIV. 



84 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

As early as the year 1660, the Indians had 
reported, at Quebec, that many leagues west of the 
great lakes there was a wonderful river, the Great 
River, the Father of Waters, the most majestic 
stream in the world, flowing from the unexplored 
solitudes of the wilderness in the north, far away 
into the unknown regions of the south. 

One day a birch canoe, with a little band of 
hardy, wayworn voyagers, French and Indians, came 
paddling down the swift current of the St. Lawrence 
and ran their boat upon the beach where the little 
cluster of dwellings stood, called Quebec. They 
brought the startling intelligence that Father Mar- 
quette, a great and good man whom, all knew, had 
discovered the Great River, which the Indians called 
the Mississippi, and had followed down its majestic 
current for hundreds of leagues, until he had reached 
the thirty-third degree of latitude. He had ascer- 
tained, beyond all question, that it emptied its flood 
into the Gulf of Mexico. This important discovery, 
it was claimed, gave to the French, according to the 
received law of nations, the whole valley of the Mis- 
sissippi and its tributaries, however great that valley 
might prove to be. 

This intelligence was received with every demon- 
stration of public rejoicing. It gave, as it was sup- 
posed, to France a new world of boundless resources. 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 85 

The garrison band played its most exultant airs. 
Salvos of artillery echoed along the majestic cliffs. 
There was feasting, dancing, and singing, and the 
spacious church was thronged with worshippers, 
praising God with the national anthems of Te 
Deum. 

This great event gave a new impulse and a new 
direction to the ambition of La Salle. He at once 
conceived the idea of establishing a series of military 
and trading posts along the whole length of the lakes, 
and upon all the important points of the great river 
and its tributaries. But even then he was but little 
aware how magnificent was the realm which these 
tributaries watered. He would thus, however, in the 
name of the King of France, take military possession 
of the whole territory. 

Governor Frontenac gave his most cordial ap- 
proval to the gigantic plan. His own mind was 
greatly excited by the thought of the grandeur of a 
chain of forts extending from the mouth of the St. 
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. He urged La 
Salle to go immediately to France, seek an audience 
with the king, lay the plan before him, and seek the 
royal patronage. The renowned Colbert was then 
minister of finance and marine. The governor fur- 
nished La Salle with letters to the minister which 
would secure for him a respectful reception. 



86 'THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

La Salle, a penniless adventurer, recrossed the 
ocean. It was the year 1675. His plan at once 
attracted attention, and he was cordially received by 
both minister and king. The courtiers rallied around 
him with much enthusiasm. The king, having hon- 
ored him with the title of chevalier, authorized him 
to rebuild, on the shores of Lake Ontario, Fort 
Frontenac, which was falling to decay, and invested 
him with the office of seignory or governorship of 
the fort and its adjacent territory. 

The sublime plan which La Salle thus proposed, 
could only be carried into execution by the continous 
labors of many years. La Salle returned to Canada 
full of bright dreams for the future. For more than 
two years he was employed in rearing the walls of 
Fort Frontenac and improving the region around. 
This important post occupied a commanding posi- 
tion near the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario. 

At the close of the year 1677 he again returned 
to France, to report the progress he had made. 
His reception by the court was even more cordial 
than before, and he received from the king new hon- 
ors and more extended privileges. On the 14th of 
July, 1678, he sailed from Rochelle for Quebec. Pie 
took with him an Italian gentleman, by the name of 
Tonti, as his lieutenant, and a party of thirty men. 
After a two months' voyage, they landed at Quebec 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 8/ 

on the 15th of September. Then, paddling up the 
swift current of tlie St. Lawrence, they passed the 
little cluster of log-cabins surrounded with Indian 
wigwams at Montreal, and after a voyage of between 
three and four hundred miles reached Fort Fron- 
tenac. 

This was indeed a post far away in the wilder- 
ness. It was strongly built, with four bastions on 
the northern side of the entrance to the lake, at the 
head of a snug forest-fringed bay, where quite a fleet 
of small vessels could be sheltered from the winds. 

It was a very curious spectacle which was then 
witnessed upon this remote frontier of civilization. 
The unbroken wilderness, where wolves howled and 
bears roamed, spread in apparently unbroken gloom 
in all directions. The fort rose in quite massive 
proportions, enclosing within its palisades a number 
of cabins, which the garrison occupied, and which 
were stored with goods suitable for traffic with the 
natives. There was a small green meadow spread 
around, which was covered with wigwams of every 
picturesque variety. Groups of Indians, of various 
tribes, were moving about. The warriors were 
painted and plumed, and many of them very gor- 
geously attired. Women, young and graceful girls, 
and little children, were clustered around the camp- 
fires, some with busy hands usefully employed ; 



88 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

others shouting and sporting in all the varieties of 
barbaric pastimes. 

It was an instructive scene, emblematic of this 
fallen world. The frowning fort, with its threatening 
armament, proclaimed that sin had entered the 
world with its war and blood and misery, making 
man the direful foe of his brother man. The crystal 
stream and lake ; the azure of the overarching skies ; 
the bright, serene autumnal day ; the foliage, the 
verdure, the picturesque wigwams ; the peaceful 
employments of the women, and the sports and 
shouts of the merry children, showed that our ruined 
Eden still retained some of those glories which em- 
bellished it before man rebelled against his Maker. 

La Salle, on his return from Europe, in the 
autumn of 1678, had brought with him a select 
company of sailors, carpenters, and other mechanics. 
At Quebec a number of Canadian boatmen joined 
him. These men he sent forward to Fort Frontenac. 
which was now virtually his castle, with the sur- 
rounding territory his estate. The boats were heav- 
ily Taden with all articles for trading with the 
Indians, and with all the essentials for building and 
rigging vessels. He soon followed them, in an open 
birch canoe, with one or two companions. . It was a 
long and perilous river voyage, paddling up the swift 
current of the St. Lawrence between its thousand 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 89 

islands, struggling against its rapids, and seeking for 
the eddies along its lonely forest-fringed shores. 
Several times they came near being wrecked, with 
inevitable death. 

At the close of the day it was always necessary 
to run the canoe ashore, to land and encamp. But 
with hardy men, fond of adventure, these were pleas- 
ures rather than pains. With their axes, in half an 
hour they could construct a sheltering camp. A 
brilliant fire would dispel all gloom, with its wide- 
spreading illumination. The fragrant twigs of the 
hemlock furnished a soft couch. Here they cooked 
their suppers, sang their songs, told their stories, and, 
free from all care, probably experienced at least as 
much pleasure as is usually found in parlors the 
most sumptuous. 

Indian villages were quite profusely scattered 
along the banks of this majestic river. The scene 
was often quite exciting as the canoe of the voyagers 
approached one of these clusters of picturesque wig- 
wams in the evening twilight. The Indians were 
fond of the song, and the dance, and the blaze of the 
bonfire. The whole expanse of river, cliff, and 
forest, would be hghted up. Shouts of barbaric 
revelry echoed through the sublime solitudes. And 
the warrior, the squaw, and the pappoose, flitted 
about in all the varied employments of savage life. 



90 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

In these Indian wigwams, at night, the voyagers 
almost invariably found hospitable refuge. The 
Indians were generally friendly. The traffic which 
the French traders introduced was of inestimable 
value to the poor savages. And even those who 
were disposed to look with suspicion upon the en- 
croachments of the white men, were overawed by the 
thunderings and lightnings of their death-deahng 
muskets. There were fishes of delicious flavor in the 
stream, and game in great variety upon the banks. 
These viands, with the food they took with them, 
furnished breakfasts and suppers which they deemed 
even sumptuous. 

The fort was reached in safety. On the i8th of 
November, La Salle sent a small vessel of ten tons 
burden, with a deck, to go to the farther end of Lake 
Ontario, a distance of about two hundred miles, and 
to ascend the Niagara River until the falls were 
reached. The vessel contained about thirty workmen, 
with provisions and implements for erecting a fort 
and building a vessel beyond the falls at the extreme 
eastern end of Lake Erie. Having ascended the 
river as far as possible, they were to transport their 
effects along an Indian trail, in the wilderness, several 
miles above the falls and the rapids, until they 
reached comparatively still water at the opening of 
the lake. Here, in mid-winter, they were to construct 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 9 1 

their fortified magazine, and build a vessel for their 
vast inland tour through almost unknown seas, in 
search of the distant Mississippi. 

Even then this continent was so little known that 
many supposed that the Mississippi emptied into the 
Pacific Ocean, and that thus the long-sought-for 
route to China would be found. 

Only about ten years before, in the year 1669, 
La Salle, on an exploring tour with a party of mis- 
sionaries in birch canoes, had discovered these falls. 
M. Galinee, in his journal of the expedition, writes : 

'^ We found a river one eighth of a league broad, 
and extremely rapid, forming the outlet from Lake 
Erie to Lake Ontario. The depth is extraordinary, 
for we found close to the shore, fifteen or sixteen 
fathoms of water. This outlet is forty miles long. 
It has, from ten to twelve miles above its embouchure 
into Lake Ontario, one of the finest cataracts in the 
world. All the Indians say that the river falls from 
a rock higher than the tallest pines. We heard the 
roar at the distance of ten or twelve miles. The fall 
gives such momentum to the water, that its current 
prevented our ascending, except with great difficulty. 
The current above the falls is so rapid, that it often 
sucks in deer and stags, elk and roebuck, endeavoring 
to cross the river, and overwhelms them in its fright- 
ful abyss." 



92 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

This is the earliest description of the falls on 
record. At this time nearly the whole of the present 
State of New York was a dense, unbroken wilderness. 
It is very evident, that among the Indians there 
were, as in every community, good men and bad men. 
But on the whole, the condition of humanity among 
the savages must have been dreadful. What are we 
to think of a state of society in which every man's 
reputation and distinction depended upon the num- 
ber of human scalps, torn from the slain victims by 
his own hands, with which he could fringe his gar- 
ments ? 

On this tour La Salle visited the Seneca Indians 
in Western New York, where the beautiful cities of 
civilization and Christianity now adorn the land- 
scape. Here they witnessed one of the most tragic 
spectacles of savage life. 

Some warriors arrived in one of the villages with 
a prisoner. He was a finely formed young man, 
about nineteen years of age, from the Shawnee tribe 
residing near the Scioto River. They had clothed 
their victim for the sacrifice. Anxious that he should 
endure the torture as long as possible, they had 
treated him tenderly, that his bodily strength might 
not be weakened. He had been given, according to 
their custom, to an aged Indian woman, in place of 
her son who had been killed. It was at her option 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 93 

to adopt him or to cause him to be put to death by- 
torture. She chose the torture. 

The young man was taken into a cabin adjoining 
that which was occupied by La Salle and Galinee. 
The two Frenchmen visited him in the evening. 
Three women were wailing the death of their relative 
who had been killed, and were heaping imprecations 
upon the victim through whose tortures they hoped 
to avenge the death of the one who had been slain. 
The Christians pleaded earnestly for him, and offered 
large rewards to obtain him as a guide to conduct 
them to the Ohio All was in vain. 

At the earliest dawn of the next morning, a 
group came rushing into La Salle's cabin to 
announce that the torture was about to commence. 
They went out and found the victim entirely stripped 
of his clothing, and so bound to a stake that he 
could move for a distance of two or three feet. The 
whole band — men, women, and children — were gath- 
ered exultingly around, to enjoy the cruel pastime. 
The poor boy well knew what he had to undergo, 
for he had probably often assisted in similar scenes. 
■ M. Galinee was slightly acquainted with the 
Algonquin language ; he could hold some conversa- 
tion with the captive. The victim, pale and terror- 
stricken, entreated the Frenchmen to intercede for 
him, that his execution might be postponed until 



94 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the next day. Again they renewed their efforts to 
save the boy. They offered to pay a large amount 
of their most valuable effects for his ransom. But 
the Indians shyok their heads and said, " It is our 
custom : he must die." 

A large fire had been kindled near by. In it 
there was a long gun-barrel heated to a red heat. 
An Indian warrior, a staid, sober man, came forward 
with much dignity of manner, and taking the red- 
hot gun-barrel pressed it upon the soles of the vic- 
tim's feet, and moved it slowly up his legs. The skin 
and flesh smoked and crackled under the terrible 
infliction. The agony was such that the poor boy 
could not refrain from loud shrieks, and he was 
thrown into the most convulsive contortions. 

The savages — the stern men, the women, the girls, 
the boys — were delighted. As they listened to the 
shrieks and witnessed the agonizing struggles of 
their victim, they clapped their hands, and danced 
and shouted in fiend-like exultation. The heated 
iron was passed over his whole body, from the sole 
of his feet to the crown of his head. There was not 
a spot left which was not blistered and roasted. 
And still they carefully avoided touching any vital 
point, that the horrible torture might be continued 
as long as possible. 

For six hours this poor creature endured every 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 95 

variety of agony which diabolical ingenuity could 
inflict. I will not continue the narration. It is too 
harrowing to be contemplated. But it is needful to 
go thus far to show what the Indians were without 
the Gospel. Galinee writes: 

** At length they knocked him down with a stone, 
and throwing themselves upon him, cut his body in 
pieces. One, carried off his head, another an arm, a 
third some other member, which they put in the pot 
to boil for a feast. Many offered some to the 
Frenchmen, telling them there was nothing in the 
world better to eat ; but no one desired to try the 
experiment. 

" In the evening all assembled in the public place, 
each with a stick in his hand, with which they began 
to beat the cabins on all sides, making a very loud 
noise, to chase away, they said, the soul of the de- 
ceased, which might be concealed in some corner to 
do them injury." 

This scene took place in Western New York, a 
mile and a half west of Boughton Hill, but about two 
hundred years ago. Surely the religion of Jesus has 
improved the condition of humanity. 

La Salle and Galinee, unable to endure the spec- 
tacle, retired, in anguish of spirit, to their cabin. '' As 
I was praying to God," writes Galinee, " and very 
sad, La Salle came and told me that from the ex- 



96 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

citement he saw prevailing, he was apprehensive that 
the Indians might insult us, and that we had better 
return to the canoes." Hastily they retired. 

But let us return from this digression. La Salle 
joined his companions at the head of Niagara River, 
on the borders of Lake Erie, on the 29th of January, 
1679. The river, above the falls, was a sheet of ice, 
resembling a plain paved with fine polished marble. 
While many of his men had been employed building 
a vessel to be launched upon the lake, others had 
boldly explored all the surrounding region, purchas- 
ing of the Indians furs and skiris. The winter was 
intensely cold, and the snow was deep. There was 
a small cluster of Indian wigwams on the Niagara 
River below the Falls. 

The Indians, men, women and children, received 
La Salle and his party even affectionately. They 
took the strangers into their warm cabins, spread 
bear-skin couches for them, to sleep with their feet 
toward the fire, and fed them with their daintiest 
bits of game. White-fish were taken in great abun- 
dance at that place, and were deemed in flavor equal 
to the golden brook-trout. The floating ice endan- 
gered their brigantine. The Indians aided with in- 
finite labor in dragging it to a safe place upon the 
beach, just below those towering cliffs which fringe 
so large a portion of this wild river. This spot was 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 97 

near the present site of Queenstown, on the western 
side of the stream. 

All the goods were to be transported through a 
trail of the forest, encumbered with snow, around 
the falls, a distance of about twenty miles, on the 
shoulders of men. The Indians, with fraternal kind- 
ness, aided in these herculean labors, and were amply 
repaid for days of toil, by a knife, a hatchet, or a 
few trinkets, as valuable to them as are diamonds 
and pearls to a duchess. La Salle constructed a for- 
tified depot at this place, to serve as a base for future 
operations. Here he could store such additional 
supphes as he might order from Fort Frontenac. 
Strange as it may seem, it appears that he could 
leave priceless treasure in a frail log-hut, thus far 
away in the wilderness, under the protection of the 
Indians themselves. And yet these very men and 
women, had La Salle been captured in battle, would 
have shouted and leaped for joy in seeing him 
writhing and shrieking beneath fiend-hke tortures. 
Such is fallen man. He is the ruin of a once noble 
fabric. But many fragments of his former gran- 
deur still remain. There is no philosophy, save the 
religion of the Bible, which can explain these dis- 
cordances. 

On the 20th of January, 1679, La Salle, with his 
long train of heavily laden men in single file, reached 



98 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

his large log-cabin and ship-yard in the midst of a 
dense forest on the shore of Lake Erie. They 
brought upon their backs provisions, merchandise, 
ammunition, and materials for rigging the vessel. 
The dock-yard — it could hardly be called a fort — was 
about six miles above Niagara Falls, on the western 
side of the river, at the outlet of a little stream 
called Chippewa Creek. 

The men there had been employed in erecting 
their hut, cutting ship timber, and preparing the 
ground for building their vessel. There were many 
Indians continually visiting them. La Salle, the 
very week of his arrival, laid the keel of his vessel, 
and with his own hand drove the first bolt. He had 
no thought of encroaching upon the lands of the In 
dians, or of erecting any forts in antagonism to them. 
The object of his expedition was solely to make dis- 
coveries in the name of France, to establish trad- 
ing stations for the purchase of valuable furs of the 
Indians, and to erect throughout the region he trav- 
ersed military posts, over which the banners of France 
might float, which would prove that by the right of 
discovery, the region belonged to France and not to 
England. The foe to be guarded against was the 
British Government, not the Indian tribes. 

With characteristic sagacity, La Salle summoned 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 99 

a council of the chiefs of all the neighboring tribes, 
and addressed them in substance as follows: 

"I come to you as a friend and a brother. I 
wish to buy your furs. I will pay you for them in 
guns and powder, knives, hatchets, kettles, beads, and 
such other articles as you want. Thus you can do 
me good, and I can do you good. We can be broth- 
ers. I am building a vessel, that I may visit other 
tribes, purchase their furs, and carry to them our 
goods. Let us smoke the pipe of friendship, and 
shake hands. The Great Spirit will be pleased to 
see us. His children, love one another and help each 
other. I wish to establish a trading-post here, where 
I can collect my furs, where you can come to sell 
them. And here you will find mechanics who will 
mend your guns, knives, and kettles, when they get 
out of order." 

These were honest words. They were convincing. 
All smoked the pipe and grasped hands in token of 
fraternity. The Frenchman was a benefactor, not 
an enemy. His life was to be carefully protected. 
Should he, from unkind treatment, refuse to come to 
their country, they could buy no more guns, or 
knives, or kettles. Henceforth every wigwam wel- 
comed the entrance of a Frenchman. 

La Salle, while engaged in building his vessel, de- 
spatched several canoes along each shore of Lake Erie, 



100 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

to visit every Indian village and purchase their furs. 
Indian friends paddled the canoes and acted as inter- 
preters. The arrival of one of these canoes at an 
Indian village was an occasion of universal rejoicing. 
Happy was the chief who could be honored by en- 
tertaining the white trader in his wigwam. The 
Frenchman was in no more danger in moving about 
amid their dwellings and forests, than he would have 
been in traversing the boulevards in Paris. 

A poor Indian would bring in some rich furs, to 
him scarcely of any value, but worth ten dollars in 
London or Paris. He would receive in exchange a 
strong, keen-edged pocket-knife, worth in London or 
Paris perhaps half a dollar, but to him worth ten times 
ten dollars. He would go home to his wigwam so 
happy that he could scarcely sleep. He would show 
his almost priceless treasure to his wife, his children, 
his neighbors. Accustomed to shave down his bow 
and arrows only with such an edge as a hard stone 
could afford, he was filled with inexpressible delight 
as the keenly cutting steel performed its wondrous 
work. 

The young lady of wealthy parents may rejoice 
when the grand piano first enters her father's parlor. 
The fashionable matron may feel some degree of 
exultation as she regards the splendor of her newly 
furnished reception-room. But their joy was as 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 1 01 

nothing compared with the delight with which an 
Indian woman, for the first time in her Hfe, hung a 
stout iron kettle over her cabin fire. 

La Salle named his vessel the *' Griffin," as that 
animal was one of the emblems on his family coat- 
of-arms. During the winter, while the vessel was on 
the stocks, circumstances required the presence of 
La Salle at Fort Frontenac. Promptly he set out 
for a journey on foot of three hundred miles through 
the snow and the woods. Two men accompanied 
him. A strong dog dragged a portion of the bag- 
gage on a sled. Wherever night overtook them they 
hastily constructed their camp, built their fire, cooked 
their supper, wrapped themselves in furs, and fell 
asleep. He seemed to think no more of such a 
journey than a gentleman does now of a trip, in 
cushioned cars, from Boston to New Orleans. But 
nothing in this world ever goes smoothly a long 
time. In every man's life it may be said, 

" Storm after storm rises dark o'er my way." 

Several boats laden with supplies bound from 
Frontenac to Niagara were lost in tempests on the 
lake. This caused great embarrassment. Provisions 
even became scarce. The laborers would have 
suffered for food but for the services of Indian hunters, 
who brought in deer and other game. The fur trade 



102 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

was becoming a matter of great importance. There 
were many private traders and companies engaged in 
the traffic, who were alarmed, in view of the magni- 
tude of the operations contemplated by La Salle, and 
of the monopoly which had been granted to him by 
the king. Here again we see the dark side of human 
nature. These men, Frenchmen, nominal Christians, 
endeavored to rouse the Indians against La Salle, 
even to burnings and massacres. They said to the 
savages : 

'' La Salle wishes to take possession of your whole 
country. He is building a fort at Niagara, and 
another at Erie. He is building a large vessel, that 
he may explore all your distant lakes and large 
rivers. He will erect his strong forts upon every 
commanding spot. These forts he will garrison 
with armed men, well provided with muskets, and 
big guns whose roar is hke that of thunder. Then 
he will take your lands and bring in white men by 
thousands, and you will all be killed or driven away. 

"Your only safety is in destroying the forts at 
Niagara and Erie, and in burning the vessel he is 
building, before it is launched. We will not trespass 
on your lands. We will build no forts. We will 
bring to your villages, in our canoes, all the goods 
you want, and will buy all your furs. Thus you will 
be in no danger." 



LIFE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. I03 

These plausible representations alarmed the 
Indians. Some of them visited the encampment, 
and with a suspicious eye watched all the move- 
ments. There were two parties formed, the friendly 
and the unfriendly. La Salle was embarrassed. He 
might be attacked. His little handful of men would 
need a strong fortress for their protection. But to 
strengthen his works would confirm the fears of his 
foes and add to their number. An Indian woman 
revealed to him a plot to set fire to his brigantine 
on the stocks. 

He kept a careful watch, ordered all his men to 
be secretly ready for a surprise, and pushed forward 
the building of the vessel with all vigor. Early in 
April the vessel was launched. The sublime Te 
Deum resounded through the solitudes of the forest 
as thanksgivings were offered to God for the success 
of the enterprise thus far. Prayers were breathed 
forth that God would guide and bless the vessel and 
its crew. The vessel was moored at a safe distance 
from the shore. All the men swung their hammocks 
on board their floating fortress, and were quite secure 
from any intrusion of the savages. 



CHAPTER V. 
The Voyage Along the Lakes, 

The Embarcation. — Equipment of the Griffin. — Voyage through the 
Lakes and Straits, — The Storm. — Superstition of the Voyagers. — 
Arrival at Mackinac. — Scenery there. — Friendship of the In- 
dians. — Sail on Lakes Huron and Michigan. — Arrival at Green 
Bay. — The well-freighted Griffin sent back. 

On the 7th of August, 1679, the Griffin spread her 
sails for her adventurous voyage into the vast unknown. 
Her armament consisted of five small cannon, two of 
which were of brass, and three clumsy guns called 
arquebuses. The vessel was of but sixty tons bur- 
den. Most of the men had muskets for taking game. 
The current in the river, where the vessel was moored, 
was very rapid. But by aid of a fair wind, and twelve 
men pulling by a rope on the shore, all difficulties 
were overcome, and the Griffin entered triumph- 
antly the broad expanse of Lake Erie. 

As the anchor was raised and the canvas spread, 
a simultaneous salute was fired from the five cannon, 
the three arquebuses, and all the muskets. Such an 
uproar was never before heard in those silent wilds. 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. I05 

An immense number of Indians crowded the shore. 
They gazed with astonishment, awe, and indefinable 
dread upon the novel spectacle. The wdiole com- 
pany of Frenchmen embarked, being thirty-four in 
number. None were left at Erie. But at Niagara, as 
the magazine at Queenstown was called, Father 
Melethon remained, with one or tw^o laborers, to 
receive such supplies as might be forwarded to that 
place. 

Three missionaries accompanied the expedition, 
Fathers Hennepin, Zenobe, and Ribourde. They 
were venerable and good men, ready at any mo- 
ment to lay down their lives in advocacy of the 
Christian faith. Lake Erie is about two hundred 
and sixty miles long, and from ten to sixty broad. 
They ran along the northern shore of this majestic 
inland sea, and on the third day reached its western 
bounds, where they cautiously entered the mouth of 
the strait through which flows the waters of all the 
upper lakes. It was about twenty-eight miles long, 
and one mile broad. As canoes alone had thus far 
passed over its surface, it was necessary for them to 
feel their way with much care. La Salle gave the 
strait thename of Detroit. Soon entering another 
lake, twenty-four miles long by thirty broad, he gave 
it the name of St. Clair, in honor of the saint whose 
5^ 



I06 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

name appears in the calendar of the church for 
that day. 

Passing safely over the shallow waters, the Griffin 
entered another strait, about thirty miles long, to 
which La Salle gave the name of St. Clair River. 
The current was strong, and the navigation perilous. 
Gigantic steamers now run through from Lake Erie 
to Lake Huron in a few hours. It required thirteen 
days for the Griffin to accomplish the passage. The 
whole distance is about ninety miles. 

Lake Huron opened magnificently before them. 
The route along the shore of the lake to its head, 
where it receives the waters of Michigan and Supe- 
rior, is about three hundred and sixty miles. Its 
greatest breadth is one hundred and sixty miles. 
The progress of the voyagers was slow. They were 
impeded by calms and head winds. It was often 
necessary to cast the lead and to watch for rocks and 
sand-bars. They had but just entered upon Lake 
Huron when they encountered one of the severest 
tempests which ever swept that stormy lake. The 
whole ship's company were devout Catholics. 

In those dark days both 'the fathers and the crew 
were alike disposed to call upon the Virgin Mary and 
the saints to aid them, rather than upon God. 
Father Hennepin tells us that the stout soul of La 
Salle quailed before the horrible tumult which threat- 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. lO/ 

ened to engulf him. They all alike fell upon their 
knees and addressed their prayers and their cries to 
St. Anthony of Padua. They solemnly vowed that 
if he would intercede with God and obtain their 
rescue, they would, in the newly-discovered countries, 
erect a chapel in his name. St. Anthony was called 
the patron of mariners, and therefore his aid was 
especially invoked. 

Greatly was their confidence in the saint's inter- 
cession increased, as the wind lulled, the clouds dis- 
persed, the sun shone forth in all its autumnal glory, 
and with a fair wind pressing their sails they glided 
along over a smooth sea, skirting the southern shore 
of the lake, past mountains and valleys, prairies and 
forest, which presented every variety of picturesque 
beauty. 

At the extreme northwestern extremity of Lake 
Huron, near the point where the lake receives the 
waters of Lakes Michigan and Superior, there was a 
large island, whose swelling hills were crowned with 
a dense forest. This island was called by the Indians, 
from its peculiar form, Mackinac, or the Turtle, some- 
times MichiHmackinac, or the big Turtle. On the 
27th of August, 1679, the Griffin ran into a beautiful 
little bay in this island. It was a lovely summer's 
day, serene, sunny, and cloudless. The waters of 
the bay, fringed with forest-crowned hills, were as 



I08 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

placid as a mirror. There was quite a village there 
of wigwams. Naked children were sporting upon 
the beach. Buoyant birch canoes, driven by the 
paddles of gayly-dressed men and women, were glid- 
ing swiftly in all directions. The scene opened 
before the eyes of the voyagers like a vision of 
enchantment. 

Nearly ten years before. Father Marquette, in- 
spired by apostolic zeal, had traversed this whole 
distance in a birch canoe. Several Indians accom- 
panied him as boatmen and interpreters. Upon the 
main land, across a narrow strait, he had established 
a mission-post among the Hurons. The Indians at 
Mackinac thus knew something of the white men. 
With wonder they gazed upon the " great wooden 
canoe." They crowded on board the Griffin with 
every testimonial of confidence and friendship, and 
when one of the cannon was fired, and its roar rever- 
berated through the forest, they were astonished, but 
not frightened. 

Though this remote village seemed so peaceful 
and happy, the strong paHsades which surrounded it 
proved that the voyagers had not yet got beyond 
the vestiges of Adam's fall. Those defences spoke 
of midnight assaults, of savage yells, of tomahawks, 
scalps, blood, misery, and death. La Salle, aware of 
the influence of outward appearance upon the minds 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. IO9 

of men, dressed himself in a very rich scarlet cloak 
fringed with gold lace. With a plumed military 
cap upon his head, a long sword at his side, and an 
imposing escort of well-dressed and well-armed men, 
he was rowed ashore, to make a visit of ceremony to 
the chief His reception was as hospitable and 
friendly as those untutored men were capable of 
giving. 

La Salle had sent forward several canoes of men, to 
collect all the furs they could on their way, and store 
them at Mackinac. These furs, upon his arrival, La 
Salle would transfer to the Griffin and send them back 
to Fort Frontenac, to be thence transported to Eu- 
rope. But these men had bitterly disappointed him. 
Some of them had run away and joined the Indians, 
attracted by the apparently careless, easy life which 
the wigwam presented. Others had been bribed, by 
higher wages, to join rival trading parties. One of 
the canoes of deserters had pushed on to the Falls of 
St. Mary. These falls, quite renowned in the early 
explorations of these remote regions, were situated 
on the strait which connects Lake Superior with 
Huron. 

After a short tarry at Mackinac, the sails of the 
Griffin were again spread, and passing through the 
strait between Mackinac and the main land, they 
entered the head of Lake Michigan. They coasted 



no THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

along its northern border in beautiful summer wea- 
ther, and within pleasant view of the shore, until 
they came to an island where there was a pleasant, 
sheltered cove, at the mouth of Green Bay, a sheet 
of water which, through a broad entrance studded 
with islands, spread out on the west of Michigan, a 
hundred miles in length, by about twenty in breadth. 

A tribe of Indians, called Pottawatomies, inhab- 
ited this island. Here it was La Salle's good fortune 
to find one of his large canoes, well freighted with 
furs. He had also laid in a large store at Mackinac. 
As he was soon to leave the Griffin, to cross the land 
by portages, and paddle in birch canoes down distant 
and unknown rivers, he decided to send back the 
Griffin to Erie, with her rich freight of furs. At 
Erie they would be carried on men's shoulders around 
the falls to Niagara, thence reshipped to Frontenac, 
and thence sent to Europe. He remained at the 
island a fortnight, freighting his ship. She com- 
menced her return voyage with a pilot and five mar- 
iners. The value of the cargo was such as to make 
La Salle a rich man. Notwithstanding all his dis- 
couragements, his voyage had thus far been a success. 
Cheered with hope, he now prepared to resume his 
adventurous explorations in birch canoes. 

La Salle, having despatched the richly freighted 
Griffin from the mouth of Green Bay to his abandoned 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. Ill 

ship-yard at Erie, resumed his voyage in four heavily 
laden birch canoes. The company remaining- with 
him consisted of seventeen men. His freight con- 
sisted of a blacksmith's forge, mechanic tools, house- 
hold utensils, merchandise, arms, and ammunition. 
A very skilful and intelligent Indian accompanied the 
party as interpreter and hunter. They paddled down 
the western shore of Lake Michigan, landing every 
night to build their camp, kindle their fire, and cook 
their supper. Immediately upon landing, the Indian, 
with his musket on his shoulder, disappeared in the 
forest, and almost invariably soon returned with an 
ample supply of game. 

It was the 19th of September, 1679, when the 
canoes left the mouth of Green Bay. The stormy 
days of autumn were approaching, when these north- 
ern lakes were often ploughed by fierce gales. The 
island from which they set out was several leagues 
from the main land. They had no sails. Their 
boats were propelled only by the paddle. The first 
night, before they reached the main land, dense 
clouds seemed hurrying through the skies and thick- 
ening over their heads. The wind increased into a 
gale. The blackened waters of the lake were lashed 
into foam-crested billows. The sun went down, and 
gloomy darkness curtained the sky and enveloped the 
sea. The spray dashed over them. Occasionally a 



112 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

wave would break into the canoes. At length they 
discerned the dim outhne of the shore. It was a long 
sandy beach, with no cove, no indentation, into which 
they could run their boats. The surges, driven by 
the northeast storm, struck the shore so furiously 
that it seemed impossible to effect a landing ; and 
yet every moment they were threatened with destruc- 
tion. In the darkness they kept as near together 
as they could, to help one another in case of disaster. 
Thus hour after hour passed, as our voyagers, weary, 
hungry, cold, and drenched, struggled against the 
waves. A little after midnight the wind lulled. 
Watching their opportunity they ran their canoes 
upon the shore, and leaping into the water, carefully 
dragged them above the waves. The rain still fell. 
They unloaded each canoe, and so packed the pre- 
cious contents that they could protect them from the 
rain by covering them with the canoes turned upside 
down. With their axes they soon constructed a frail 
camp. With the flash of powder they with difflculty 
kindled a fire, for everything was dripping with 
moisture, and every log was soaked. 

They threw themselves down to sleep upon the 
wet ground, and in their drenched garments, but 
with their feet toward roa;ing fires. Accustomed as 
they were to exposure, these hardships must have 
caused severe suffering. The lurid morning revealed 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. II3 

to them but a raging sea and a bleak and barren ex- 
panse, where no game could be found. Here, in 
their cheerless camp, they were detained by the wind 
and the rain four days. The only game their Indian 
hunter brought in, was a single porcupine. They 
found its flesh savory, though it afforded scarcely a 
mouthful for each man. 

The storm at length ceased. Again they launch- 
ed their fragile canoes, and paddled along the placid 
waters. Soon another storm arose suddenly, and so 
severe, that they were glad to take shelter upon the 
lee side of a rocky island. There was no growth of 
timber with which they could build a camp, and 
scarcely sufficient fuel for a fire. Here, hke ship- 
wrecked mariners, they remained for two days, 
wrapped in their blankets, and huddled for shelter in 
the cavities of the rocks. Mercilessly they were 
pelted with rain mingled with snow. 

But again the clouds were dispelled ; the sun 
shone brightly. The mirrored waves of the lake in- 
vited them to its surface. Though sobered by their 
sufferings, they paddled rapidly along, hoping that 
a long calm was to succeed the storm. Their 
voyage was cheered by one bright and sunny day, 
when the angry clouds again began to gather to do 
them battle. The tempest rose so suddenly that 
they had no time to seek a harbor, but had to run 



114 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 



their canoes through the surf on the shore. All had 
to leap into the waves to save the frail boats from 
being broken on the stony beach. This, their third 
landing, was near the point where the River Mil- 
waukie enters the lake. 

They had not taken a large supply of provisions 
with them in their canoes, for they had hoped to 
find a supply of game by the way. Nearly all their 
store of corn and vegetables was now exhausted. 
Two or three Indians were seen in the distance ; but 
they did not venture to approach so formidable a 
looking band. Three men were sent, with the calu- 
met of peace, to search for their villages and obtain 
food. They came to a cluster of deserted wigwams, 
where the sagacity of their Indian guide showed 
them an abundance of corn, concealed from the rav 
ages of wild beasts, in cells under ground. These 
honest or politic men took all they wanted, and left 
behind them ample payment. 

In the evening twilight, as the boatmen were 
gathered around their camp fire, quite a group of 
Indians was seen cautiously approaching. La Salle 
advanced to meet them, with the calumet uplifted in 
his hands. As soon as the Indians saw this emblem 
of peace, all their fears were dispelled. They rushed 
forward like a joyous band of children, singing and 
dancing. They had been to their wigwams, found 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. II5 

the treasures which had been left there, and their 
joy was inexpressible. They returned late in the 
evening to their homes ; but in the morning the 
grateful creatures returned, bearing an abundant 
supply of game and corn. La Salle richly rewarded 
them. 

Nature seemed in sympathy with these blessings 
of peace, for the sun, emerging from the clouds, 
shone down serenely upon these children of a com- 
mon Father, and the weary voyagers, greatly cheered, 
again launched their canoes upon the solitary lake. 

Thus they continued, day after day, paddling 
along the apparently interminable journey to the 
South. They passed the spot where the majestic 
city of Chicago now stands. It was two hundred 
years ago. Not even an Indian wigwam was seen to 
break the expanded and dreary soHtude. A constant 
succession of storms was encountered until they 
reached the foot of the lake. Any one who has 
witnessed the grandeur with which the ocean-like 
billows of Lake Michigan often break upon the west- 
ern shore, will wonder how it was possible for those 
frail canoes to ride over such surges. Every night it 
was necessary to land, and often the storm detained 
them for many hours. 

Having reached the foot of the lake, they 
turned to the eastward. Here they found a milder 



Tl6 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

clime and more tranquil waters. Deer and wild 
turkeys were very abundant, and their Indian hunter 
kept them supplied with game. The trees were 
festooned with grape-vines, which were laden with 
the richest clusters of the delicious fruit. They found 
a spot at the foot of the lake so attractive in its 
landscape beauty, so abounding in fruit and game, 
that, weary as they were with their arduous voy- 
age, they drew their canoes on shore for a few days 
of rest. 

The labor of one or two hours constructed a com- 
fortable cabin for the accommodation of all. Fuel 
was abundant for the cheering camp-fire. The lake 
furnished the choicest fish, and the forest supplied 
them with venison and every variety of game. Hav- 
ing feasted upon the most delicious of hunters' fare, 
they wrapped themselves in their blankets, and 
enjoyed that rich sleep which is one of the greatest 
blessings of the worn and the weary. 

Moccasined footprints had been seen on the sands 
of the beach, indicating that there were Indians near. 
One of the men out hunting at a little distance from 
the camp, came upon a large black bear, which had 
climbed a high tree, and was feeding upon the luscious 
grapes. Taking deliberate aim he sent a bullet 
through the head of the bear, and the huge animal 
tumbled lifeless to the ground. It so happened that 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 11/ 

there was a large party of Indian hunters not far off, 
who heard the report of the gun. It was to them a 
very unusual sound ; for they were armed only with 
bows and arrows. Carefully concealing themselves, 
they followed the man as he dragged the carcass to 
the camp. It was evening. A brilliant fire illumi- 
nated the whole scene. They examined the encamp- 
ment, counted the number of men, and saw at some 
distance on the beach, piles of precious goods, 
screened from rain by the canoes which were turned 
bottom upward over them. 

In the darkness of the night, two or three of 
them crept noiselessly to the unguarded canoes, 
and stole several articles of value. A wakeful eye 
chanced to catch a ghmpse of the shadowy form of an 
Indian stealing through the forest, and gave the alarm. 
All sprang to arms. La Salle had, as we have said, 
an Indian guide and hunter with him, from Green 
Bay. The Indian band proved to be from that vi- 
cinity. They soon entered into a conference with 
La Salle's guide. The savages assumed great frank- 
ness and friendHness. One of the chiefs said : 

'^ We heard the gun and feared that a party of 
our enemies was approaching. We crept near your 
camp to ascertain whether you were friends or foes. 
But now that we know that we are among French- 
men, we are with our brothers. We love French- 



Il8 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

men, and wish to smoke with them the pipe 
of peace." 

La Salle was cautious. He repHed, " Let four 
of your men, and four only, come in the morning 
to our camp." In the meantime he kept a careful 
watch. Four venerable men came in the morning, 
smoked their pipes and proffered friendship. IMutual 
pledges were exchanged, and they departed. It was 
not until after they had left, that the discovery was 
made that several valuable articles had been stolen. 
This entirely changed the aspect of affairs. La Salle, 
as energetic as he was conciliatory^ resolved to have 
satisfaction. 

Fearing that if the affront were unavenged he 
would be exposed to new insults, he took several 
\vell-armed men, penetrated the woods and captured 
two Indians. Having led them as prisoners to his 
camp, he hberated one, and sent him to the chiefs of 
the band to say, that if the stolen goods w^ere not 
immediately restored, the other captive would be put 
to death. 

The Indians, who seemed to have set a high 
value upon life, were appalled. They could not re- 
store the goods. Many of them had been destroyed. 
The chiefs returned this reply. As the Indians 
greatly outnumbered the Frenchmen, they resolved 
to attempt to rescue the captive by force. In strong 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 1 19 

military array they advanced to the attack. La 
Salle marshalled his little force upon a mound, sur- 
rounded by a sandy plain, where there was neither 
tree, rock, nor shrub, to protect the assailants. The 
bullet could be thrown much farther than the arrow. 
The hostile forces stood gazing at each other for 
some time. The chiefs saw that an attack was hope- 
less, and that advance was certain death. La Salle 
had no wish to redden his hands with their blood. 

In this emergence Father Hennepin in the peace- 
ful garb of a priest went forward with the Indian in- 
terpreter and solicited a conference. Two old men 
advanced to meet him. With unexpected intelli- 
gence they proposed that the goods which could be 
restored, should be sent back, and that the rest 
should be amply paid for. This brought peace. 
Rich presents were interchanged, the Indians giving 
several beaver-skin robes. There were feasting and 
dancing and speech-making. All hearts were happy. 

Again the canoes were put afloat. Coasting up 
the eastern shore of the lake fifty or sixty miles, they 
reached the mouth of St. Joseph's River, then called 
the River of the Miamis. This is the second river 
in importance in the State of Michigan. It has a 
good harbor at its mouth, flows through an expanse 
of two hundred and fifty miles, and affords boat nav- 
igation for a distance of one hundred and thirty miles. 



120 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Here the weary travellers found a port, after a voy- 
age of forty days from Green Bay. 

Gloomy clouds of trouble now darkened around. 
His men, weary of their hardships, became mutinous. 
They remonstrated against continuing their journey 
into the depths of the unexplored wilderness, peo- 
pled by they knew not what hostile tribes. La Salle 
had ordered Lieutenant Tonti, with twenty men, to 
cross the head of the lake and meet him at that point 
by a much shorter route. The lieutenant had not 
arrived. It was feared that he was lost. At length 
he came. But he brought no tidings of the Griffin. 
Two months had elapsed since that vessel sailed from 
Green Bay. Her orders were^ after discharging her 
freight at Niagara, to return immediately to St. Jo- 
seph's, for another cargo of furs. La Salle had 
embarked more than all his fortune in that vessel. 
There was no insurance in those days. He was 
deeply in debt to the traders in Quebec and Montreal. 

Fearful were his apprehensions that the vessel 
was lost. If so he was ruined, a hopeless bankrupt. 
The vessel was lost. No tidings of her ever reached 
any human ears. In some dreadful tragedy, wit- 
nessed only by God, the vessel and its crew sunk in 
the depths of the waters. While thus harassed with 
anxiety, the cold blasts of approaching winter swept 
the bleak plains. The rivers w^ould soon be closed 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 121 

with ice. His provisions were exhausted, so that 
his party was entirely dependent for food upon such 
game as could be taken. Under these adverse cir- 
cumstances the resolution of this indomitable man 
remained unshaken. Gathering his murmuring com- 
panions around him, he said : 

" I have set out to explore the Mississippi. If 
you abandon me I cannot proceed. But I shall 
remain here with the missionaries. You may find 
your way back as you can, or disperse through the 
forest as you please." 

The men continued to murmur. But for their 
own protection they worked diligently upon the fort. 
From this point La Salle intended to estabHsh com- 
munication with his depot at Niagara. The boat- 
men also, who were earnestly devoted to the ritual- 
ism of the church, under the direction of the mis- 
sionaries built a log chapel, where religious services 
were daily held. A numerous tribe of Indians, the 
Miamis, but to which the missionaries gave the 
name of St. Joseph's band, had a flourishing village 
here. There were very friendly. From the fine 
boat harbor they could fish upon the lake, or, in 
pursuit of game, could paddle hundreds of miles up 
the forest-crowned river and its numerous tributa- 
ries. Day after day La Salle watched the horizon 
of the lake, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sails of 
6 



122 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the returning Griffin, bringing him suppHes, and the 
tidings that his precious furs were safe and his for- 
tune secure. Night after night he placed his head 
upon his pillow, the victim of that hope deferred 
which maketh the heart sick. 

Thirty-three days of anxiety and toil thus passed 
away. The boatmen, who had come with Lieu- 
tenant Tonti, increased his number to over thirty 
men. At the point of land where the river entered 
the lake, there was a bluff, of considerable elevation 
and of triangular form, containing an acre or more 
of pretty level land. It was at that time covered 
with trees. This commanding position was chosen 
for the fort. Two sides were bounded by water. 
On the third or land side of the triangle there was a 
deep ravine. A breastwork of hewn logs was raised 
several feet high, enclosing a space eighty feet long 
by forty feet broad. And this all was surrounded 
by stout palisades. 

The fortress was artistically constructed, and 
could bid defiance to any attack by the Indians. It 
was also admirably selected to give the French com- 
mand of the region, against any encroachments of 
the English. 

Through the whole month of November the men 
toiled upon these works, fed only upon the flesh pf 
turkeys, deer, and bears, which their Indian hunter 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 1 23 

brought in. It was learned that the Griffin, which, 
it will be remembered, sailed from Green Bay, bound 
first to Mackinac, did not reach that port. The 
vessel must have foundered somewhere by the way. 
The natives on the coast had heard nothing of the 
vessel. Seventy days had now clasped since she 
sailed, and all hopes of ever hearing from her again 
were relinquished. 

On the 3d of December the whole party of thir- 
ty-three persons, in eight canoes, left Fort Miami, 
as La Salle called his works, and paddled up the 
river, a distance of seventy miles, toward the south. 
Considerable time was lost in the endeavor to find 
the trail or portage which led across, westerly from 
the St. Joseph's River, to the head waters of the 
Kankakee, which is the eastern branch of the Illinois 
River. 

La Salle, imprudently exploring alone, became 
lost in the forest. The darkness of a stormy night, 
with falling snow, overtook him. He fired his gun 
as a signal of distress ; but silence was the only 
answer. Soon he espied, in the distance, the Hght 
of a fire. It was the encampment of a solitary 
Indian, who had formed for himself a soft bed of 
leaves. Alarmed by the report of the gun, he had 
fled. La Salle appropriated to himself the cheerless 
quarters and slept soundly until morning. All the 



124 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. • 

forenoon of the next day he wandered, and it was 
not until the afternoon that he rejoined his compan- 
ions. He came in with two opossums hanging at his 
belt, which he had killed. 

At length their Indian hunter found the trail. 
They had gone too far up the river. The men took 
the canoes and the freight upon their shoulders, and 
carried them over the portage, of five or six miles, 
which the Indians had traversed for countless ages. 
Dreary in the extreme was the wintry landscape 
which now opened before them. The ground was 
frozen hard. Ice fringed the stream, and the flat 
marshy expanse was whitened with snow. For 
nearly a hundred miles the sluggish Kankakee flowed 
through a morass, which afforded growth to but little 
more than rushes and alders. Their provisions were 
nearly exhausted. No game could be found. They 
were hungry. Each night they landed, built their 
fires, and with scarcely any shelter wrapped them- 
selves in their blankets for almost comfortless sleep. 

At length the river emerged from these dreary 
marshes and entered upon a large undulating prairie, 
treeless, but whose fertility was attested by the tall, 
yet withered grass. The scene became far more 
cheering. Though most of the herds, which in sum- 
mer grazed these rich fields, had wandered far away 
to the south, their indefatigable hunter succeeded in 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 1 25 

shooting two deer and a stray buffalo, which was 
found mired. He also took several fat turkeys and 
swans. 

Thus, with revived spirits, the party, having pad- 
dled three hundred miles down the infinite windings 
of the Kankakee, entered the more majestic and 
beautiful river Illinois. The length of the stream 
from this point to its entrance into the Mississippi is 
two hundred and sixty miles, exclusive of its wind- 
ings. As they were swept down by the current, they 
came to a large Indian village on the right bank of 
the river, near the present town of Ottawa. There 
were four or five hundred cabins, very substantially 
built, and covered with thick mats very ingeniously 
woven from rushes. Extensive corn-fields were near 
the village, but the harvest had been gathered in. 

Silence and solitude reigned there. Not a living 
being was to be seen. The inhabitants had all 
migrated, according to their custom, to spend the 
winter in more southern hunting-grounds. Large 
quantities of corn were stored away for summer use 
in dry cellars. La Salle removed fifty bushels to his 
canoes, hoping to find the owners farther south and 
amply repay them. It would have been of no avail 
to have left payment, for it would be carried away 
by any band of Indians who chanced to be passing 
by. The hunger of his men, in his judgment, ren- 



126 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

dered the taking of the corn a necessity. This spot 
was probably near the site of Rock Fort, in La Salle 
county, Illinois. 

For four days they continued their course without 
coming in sight of any human being or any habita- 
tion. Yet they passed through scenery often very 
charming, presenting a wide-spread ocean of undu- 
lating land, with groves and lawns and parks smiling 
so peacefully in the bright sunshine. 

The morning of the ist of January, 1680, came. 
All gathered around the missionaries to commemo- 
rate the opening of the new year by religious services. 
Prayers were offered, hymns were chanted, sins were 
confessed, and the blessing of God was invoked upon 
their enterprise. At the conclusion of these devo- 
tions the canoes were again pushed out into the stream. 
On the fourth of the month they entered an expan- 
sion of the river where the breadth of water assumed 
the dimension of a lake. This sheet of water, now 
called Peoria Lake, was twenty miles long and 
three broad. 

At its foot they came upon a very large Indian 
encampment. La Salle presented the calumet of 
peace, and fraternal relations were immediately estab- 
lished. At this point he decided to build a large 
boat to sail down the river. The loss of the Griffin, 
thus depriving him of his suppHes, had frustrated all 



THE VOYAGE ALONG THE LAKES. 12/ 

his plans. He built a strong fort, which he called, 
from his own grief, " Crevecceur," or the Broken 
Hearted. Here this extraordinary man left most of 
his company, and with five men, in mid-winter, set 
out to cross the pathless wilderness on foot, a distance 
of twelve hundred miles, along the southern shores 
of Erie and Ontario to Fort Frontenac. The wonder- 
ful journey, through storms of snow and rain, across 
bleak plains and morasses and unbridged rivers, was 
safely accomplished in about seventy days. He 
obtained the needful supplies, freighted several canoes, 
engaged new voyagers, and after innumerable perils 
again reached the head waters of the IlHnois. Here 
he learned that his garrison at Crevecceur was dis- 
persed and the fort destroyed. This ended his 
hopes. He went back to Frontenac a disappointed 
but indomitable man, and the enterprise was for the 
time relinquished. 

Here we must leave La Salle for a time, while we 
give an account of the expedition from Crevecceur, 
up the Mississippi, and of the destruction of the 
colony. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Expedition of Father Hennepin. 

Seeking a Northwest Passage. — The Voyage Commenced. — The 
Alarm. — Delightful Scenery. — The Indian Village. — Entrance to 
the Mississippi. — Appearance of the Country. — The Midnight 
Storm. — Silence and Solitude. — A Fleet of Canoes. — Captured 
by the Savages. — Merciful Captivity. — AlaiTning Debate. — Con- 
dition of the Captives. 

Two days before La Salle set out from Creve- 
cceur, on his adventurous journey, through the wil- 
derness, to Fort Frontenac, he despatched Father 
Louis Hennepin to explore the Mississippi River 
from the mouth of the Illinois to its source. So lit- 
tle was then known of this continent that La Salle 
had strong hopes that near the source of the Missis- 
sippi, another stream might be found, flowing toward 
the west, which, by a short voyage, would conduct 
one to the Pacific Ocean. In this way he hoped that 
the long-sought-for northeast passage to the Pacific 
might be discovered. 

On the morning of the 29th of February, 1680, 
Father Hennepin, with but two companions, entered 
his birch canoe, to prosecute his grand and perilous 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. 1 29 

enterprise. They were to explore unknown realms, 
crowded with savage tribes. They had their guns, 
not for attack or defence, but for taking game, with 
a good supply of ammunition, and with several hun- 
dred dollars worth of goods, to conciliate the savages 
by presents, and to exchange with them for pro- 
visions. 

With the early dawn they commenced their voy- 
age. The day was fine, the river placid in its gentle 
flow, and the scenery, on both sides of the stream, 
of undulating hills, majestic forests, and wide-spread 
prairies, upon which herds of wild cattle were graz- 
ing, was picturesque and alluring in the extreme. 
As they rapidly descended the river, they met sev- 
eral parties of Illinois Indians, returning to their 
village at the head of the lake. Their canoes were 
laden with the game they had taken. The French- 
men and the Indians exchanged friendly greetings. 

The kind-hearted savages endeavored to dissuade 
them from their perilous voyage, assuring them, with 
all the wildest exaggerations of Indian superstition, 
that they would encounter birds as large as buffa- 
loes, who would carry them in their talons as an 
eagle seizes a rabbit ; that there were enormous 
beasts in the river, doubtless referring to the alliga- 
tors, who would dash their canoe to pieces, and 
devour a man at a mouthful ; than there were rapids 
6* 



130 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

and whirlpools from which they could not escape, and 
in which they would be surely engulfed ; and that if 
by any possibility they escaped, all these perils, they 
would fall into the hands of ferocious tribes, who 
would enslave them, torture them, cook them, and 
eat them. They entreated the Frenchmen to go 
back with them to their village, where they could 
live in safety and in abundance. 

The two boatmen, Anthony Auguelle and Mi- 
chael Ako, were alarmed by these representations, and 
were strongly inclined to return. But Father Hen- 
nepin constrained them to press onward. As they 
descended the Illinois, they found the river deep and 
broad, much resembHng the Seine at Paris. It would, 
at times, expand to nearly a mile in breadth. Large 
trees crowned many of the gentle eminences which 
lined the stream. Upon ascending the hills, as 
they landed for their night's encampment, they 
gazed, with delight in the gorgeous sunset, upon the 
magnificent prairies spread out before them as far as 
the eye could reach. 

There is nothing which earth has ever presented 
more beautiful than those-Eden like landscapes 
resembling the ocean in expanse, which were thus, 
for the first time, unveiled to the view of civilized 
men. Here and there groups of trees appeared, in 
small groves, as if planted by the exquisite taste of 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. I31 

a landscape gardener. Herds of buffaloes, antelopes, 
and deer, grazed the herbage in countless numbers. 
Birds of every variety of song and plumage found 
here their paradise. And in these fair realms the 
children of Adam might have experienced joys 
hardly surpassed by those of their first parents in 
Eden, were it not for that inhumanity of man to 
man which has caused countless millions to mourn. 
To redeem this world from the curse of sin, Jesus 
the Son of God has suffered and died. And there 
can be no possible true happiness for the human 
family until the result of his mission shall be accom- 
plished. 

Our voyagers, on the seventh day of their jour- 
ney, having passed down the windings of the river, 
about two hundred miles, as they judged, came to a 
pleasant Indian village of about two hundred wig- 
wams. These Indians had an eye for beauty. 
Their little cluster of homes was picturesquely situ- 
ated upon a green plain, gently ascending from the 
banks of the river, which commanded a view of the 
water for some distance above and below. The 
prairie, in its grandeur, spread far and wide around. 
The village was about six miles above the entrance 
of the Illinois into the Mississippi River. The tribe 
was called the Maraos. The hospitable savages, who 
without any difficulty could have killed the French- 



132 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

men and have taken possession of all their goods, 
treated the strangers as brothers, and urged them to 
visit their houses. In these hospitable rites we see 
beautiful vestiges of the character of man before the 
fall. But alas ! we can never meet the children of 
Adam anywhere, or under any circumstances, with- 
out soon seeinof the evidence of that fall when sin 
entered Eden, 

" Earth felt the wound ; and nature from her seat, 
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe 
That all was lost." 

They heard fearful accounts of attacks by fero- 
cious tribes rushing down upon them, plundering, 
burning, killing, scalping, with mercilessness which 
demons could not exceed. They were expecting 
soon another attack, and were then upon the point 
of abandoning their homes and emigrating to the 
other side of the Mississippi, to join, for their protec- 
tion, anot'her large and friendly tribe. 

Soon after Father Hennepin resumed his voyage, 
the Indians, according to his narrative, had their 
suspicions excited that he was conveying hatchets 
and guns to their enemies, either intentionally, or 
which might fall into their hands. They therefore 
sent a band of their swift-footed warriors down the 
river, to a narrow pass, to intercept the canoe. This 
could hardly be considered contrary to the laws of 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. 1 33 

warfare among civilized nations. The Indians had 
witnessed the lightnings and thunders of the white 
man's guns, and the terrible energies of their death 
dealing-bolts. They might surely consider the 
canoe as freighted with goods which were contra- 
band of war. 

We know not what reason Father Hennepin had 
for suspecting this movement of the Indians. He 
gives no proof of any such hostile design. It is 
not improbable that his suspicions were groundless. 
As he approached the narrow pass where he imag- 
ined the warriors to lie in ambush, he saw the smoke 
of the camp fires ascending from a grove which 
crowned one of the eminences. This certainly did 
not indicate any secret movement. He paddled 
close to the other side of the river, not only without 
being attacked, but without obtaining even a 
glimpse of his imagined foes. 

On the 8th of March they reached the Mis- 
sissippi River. The broad flood, a mile in width, 
swept majestically along, from unknown regions of 
the north, quite covered with floating ice. The vast 
masses, two or three feet in thickness, and which 
could not be eluded, would speedily tear their frail 
birch canoe into fragments. At the mouth of the 
Illinois there was a gentle elevation, covered with the 



134 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

stately forest, which commanded a fine view of both 
of the rivers and of the adjacent region. 

Here the Frenchmen drew their canoe upon the 
shore, erected a camp, with open front, as a shelter 
from the cold north wind, built their fire, cooked 
their game, of which they found abundance all 
around, and waited patiently, four days, for the ice 
to run by. 

In the middle of the Mississippi River, nearly 
opposite the mouth of the Illinois, there were three 
small islands, covered with large trees and a dense 
tangled growth of brush and vines. The heads of 
these islands were clogged, for a long distance up 
the river, with the deformity of immense rafts of 
drift logs, stumps, and trees. They presented an 
exceedingly dreary aspect, swept by the freezing 
winds, with truly arctic masses of ice grinding by, 
and often ploughed up into great hillocks upon the 
sand-bars. 

At a short distance back from the river a range 
of hills or bluffs was seen. Between the bluffs and 
the river the meadow or bottom lands were often 
treeless, and evidently fertile in the highest degree. 
On the morning of the I2th of March the Missis- 
sippi was sufficiently clear of ice for these intrepid 
voyagers to venture to launch their canoe upon its 
surface. Slowly and cautiously they paddled up the 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER FIENNEPIN. 1 35 

stream, keeping near the shore and taking advan- 
tage of every eddy which could be found. Through 
vistas opening between the hills and woods occa- 
sional glimpses were caught of prairie regions be- 
yond, whose solitude and silence were only relieved 
by the spectacle of grazing herds, and thousands of 
birds upon the wing. There were no signs of human 
life. Apparently eternal silence reigned over those 
Eden-like solitudes, disturbed only by the lowing of 
the herds and the varied notes of bird songs. 

As they continued their voyage they came upon 
many islands, whose thick growth of forest trees was 
so interlaced with vines and undergrowth as to 
render them almost impenetrable. Vigorously they 
plied their paddles, day after day, breasting the 
strong current of the river, encountering no incident 
of importance. Every night they landed, drew their 
canoe upon the grass, turned it over, so as to cover 
its contents from the rain and the dew, built their 
frail shelter for the night, kindled their camp fire, 
whose flame is ever as companionable as it is cheer- 
ful, cooked their supper, which they ate with the 
appetite and zest which labor gives, and then, hav- 
ing offered their vesper prayers and chanted their 
evening hymn, enjoyed that sweet sleep which is one 
of the greatest of all earthly blessings. At noon they 
always had a short religious exercise in their canoe. 



136 THE ADVENTURES GF LA SALLE. 

They often had mild and beautiful mornings, 
when the whole wide-spread scene of crystal waters, 
forest, and prairie seemed illumined with almost 
celestial radiance. Bird songs filled the air. The 
prairies seemed crowded with all the varieties of 
animal life in peaceful enjoyment. No sights of vio- 
lence or suffering met the eye. No discordant sound 
fell upon the ear. All was beauty, harmony, and 
joy. The landscape resembled our imaginings of the 
world before the fall, when it came fresh from its 
Maker's hands, and all the morning stars hailed its 
birth. 

But again clouds, like marshalling armies, hurried 
through and darkened the sky. The tempest rose 
with its dirge-like waihng. The surface of the river 
was lashed into surges which threatened to devour 
them. The rain drenched them. The sleet cut 
their faces. Hastily they sought the shores. Fre- 
quently they had to paddle a great distance along 
the precipitous banks before they could find any 
place where they could land. Reaching at length 
the shore, they first covered their goods with the 
upturned canoe. 

Black night would already envelop them. 
Groping through the darkness, drenched with rain, 
and numbed with sleet, they would, with great 
difficulty, raise some frail protection against the 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. 1 37 

Storm. No fire could be kindled. No change of 
clothing was possible. Throwing themselves upon 
the wet sod, hungry, shivering, and sleepless, they 
would anxiously await the dawn. The cry of the 
lone night-bird, and the howling of wolves, would be 
added to the discord of the angr}^ elements. In such 
hours this globe did indeed seem to be a sin-blighted 
world, upon which had fallen the frown of its Maker. 

Amid such changes and toils as these, Father 
Hennepin and his companions, in their frail birch 
canoe, paddled along against the strong current of 
the Mississippi. They breakfasted with the earliest 
dawn, and continued their voyage through ever-vary- 
ing scenes of sublimity and beauty, until late in the 
afternoon. Then they began to look eagerly for 
some sheltered, nook suitable for their night's en- 
campment. The silence and solitude through which 
they passed, at times seemed pleasing, and again 
almost awful. 

For weary leagues, not a village, not a wigwam, 
not a solitary Indian, appeared. They seemed to be 
exploring an uninhabited world. The mouths of 
many rivers were passed, whose names were unknown 
to them. With feelings akin to awe, they looked up 
the long reaches of streams, now known by the names 
of the Des Moines, the Iowa, the Rock River, and 
the Wisconsin. They wondered what scenes were 



138 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

transpiring far away upon the banks of these appa- 
rently soHtary waters. 

They had ascended the Mississippi several hun- 
dred miles, when, about two o'clock in the afternoon 
of the nth of April, they were startled by seeing 
suddenly coming round a near headland, thirty large 
bark canoes, crowded with Indians, plumed, painted, 
and armed for battle. It was a gorgeous as well as 
an appalling spectacle. The blades of their paddles 
sparkled in the sunlight. The savages were dressed 
in the highest style of barbaric splendor. Their 
brilliantly colored feathers, fringed garments, and 
highly decorated bows, war-clubs and javelins, 
surpassed, in picturesque beauty, any of the ordinary 
mihtary trapping of civiHzed hfe. 

The moment the savages caught sight of the 
Frenchmen's boat, they simultaneously raised a shout 
or yell, which reverberated along the banks of the 
river and struck the hearts of the voyagers with dread. 
Escape was impossible. Resistance was not to be 
thought of. The little fleet of canoes, descending 
the river by the aid both of the current and their 
paddles, approached with great rapidity. Father 
Hennepin stood up in his boat and in his hands 
extended toward the savages, the calumet of peace. 
Speedily he was surrounded, the calumet was 
snatched from him, and his canoe was taken to the 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. 1 39 

shore, while all the others followed. During all the 
time the savages were raising frightful cries and yells, 
the signification of which, whether welcoming or 
threatening, could not be understood. It was prob- 
ably near the mouth of the Wisconsin River that 
this capture took place. 

Father Hennepin had been so long among the 
Indians, visiting various tribes, and had so long been 
accustomed to contemplate his violent death as an 
event which might any day take place, that he was far 
more tranquil in mind than most persons could have 
been under these circumstances. Speedily his well- 
trained eye recognized the chief of the savages. He 
presented him some tobacco, and then endeavored by 
signs to enter into conversation with him. 

The two head chiefs conferred together. They 
declined smoking the peace calumet, and were by no 
means cordial in their reception of the strangers. 
There was evidently a diversity of opinion among 
them, as to the disposition they should make of their 
captives. Three blows of the tomahawk would 
silence them all in death. Their bodies could be 
thrown into the stream, and their canoe, with all its 
freight, of such priceless value to the savages, would 
be in their possession. Probably some of them had 
visited the French forts, and knew how to use the 
musket, and appreciated its death-deaHng power. 



140 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Already they had examined every article in the 
canoe. They had inspected the rifles, and counted 
the store of bullets and powder. Such an acquisition 
would aid them inestimably in the war-path upon 
which they had entered. 

The young men clamored for this decision of the 
question. In the mind of an untutored savage, who 
has neven enjoyed the light of revealed religion, the 
dividing line between right and wrong must necessa- 
rily be faint. With these men, the pride of life con- 
sisted in the numbers of enemies they had slain. 
Inspired by this desire, they were now on the way to 
attack a neighboring tribe, to burn their homes, 
destroy their property, kill and scalp men, women, 
and children, and to take back some of the leading 
warriors, that they, their wives, and their children 
might enjoy the delight of seeing them put to death 
by diabolical torture. Why should they hesitate to 
tomahawk three white men who had crossed their 
path ? Why not rob and murder them, when by 
doing so they could acquire possessions of the 
greatest value ? 

But God seems to have implanted in every human 
■ heart some sense of right and wrong, some convic- 
tion of responsibility to a Superior Being. So far as 
Father Hennepin could understand their sign lan- 
guage, the chiefs informed him that they were going 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. I4I 

down the Mississippi to attack a village of the 
Miamis on the Illinois River. The war party con- 
sisted of but one hundred and twenty braves. They 
intended to attack the village by surprise at night. 
In an hour they would accompHsh their fiend-like 
deed of murder, scalping, and conflagration. Then, 
with their gory trophies and their prisoners, they 
would take to their boats and be far away up the 
river before there could be any rallying of the tribes 
in pursuit. 

Father Hennepin told them that the Miamis had 
been informed of their intended attack ; that they 
had abandoned their village, had fled across the 
Mississippi, and having joined another powerful tribe 
were watching for their approach. The savages on 
the shore surrounded their captives, and for some 
unknown reason frequently gave simultaneous utter- 
ance to the most unearthly yells. 

Father Hennepin affected great composure, assum- 
ing that he was among friends. He presented to the 
chiefs two large fat turkeys which he had shot com- 
ing up the river. Then, with his two companions, 
he built a fire, hung his iron kettle, and commenced 
boiHng some venison. The Indians looked quietly 
on for a few minutes, and then ail gathered in a 
group to hold a council. Father Hennepin secretly 
watched their proceedings with the utmost anxiety. 



142 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Their speeches were accompanied with very much 
action. The debate was prolonged and vehement. 
He sufficiently understood the language of signs to 
perceive that they were divided in opinion, that while 
a part were in favor of putting them to death, others 
were urging that their hves should be spared. 

With one of his men he went to the canoe, took 
six axes, fifteen knives, and a quantity of tobacco, 
and advancing into the midst of the council pre- 
sented them to the chiefs. He then took an axe, and 
bowing his head, made signs that the Indians might 
kill him if they wished to do so. This chivalric deed 
touched whatever there was of chivalry in the sav- 
age bosom. There was a general murmur of ap- 
plause. Some of them had been roasting, at a fire 
near by, some beaver's flesh. One of the savages 
ran, cut a piece of the smoking meat, and bringing 
it, on a plate of birch bark, with a sharpened stick for 
a fork, put three morsels into the mouth of Father 
Hennepin and his companions. As the food was 
very hot, the savage blew upon it to cool it. He 
then set the plate before them, to eat at their 
pleasure. 

Still there was a degree of restraint on the part 
of the Indians, which indicated that there was by no 
means perfect reconciliation. There was much talk- 
ing apart, and it was evident that the fate of the 



EXPEDITION OF FATHER HENNEPIN. I43 

prisoners was not yet decided. The representations, 
however, which Father Hennepin had made, induced 
them to rehnquish their contemplated enterprise, 
and to turn back from the war-path upon which 
they had entered. Just before night, one of the 
chiefs silently returned to Father Hennepin his 
peace calumet. This greatly increased their anx- 
iety, as it was inferred that it was an act renouncing 
friendship. 

Savages and Frenchmen all slept alike on the 
ground and in the open air, by the side of their 
camp fires. There was no watch kept, and the cap- 
tives had no indication that they were abridged of 
their freedom. Still they had many fears that they 
were to be assassinated before the morning. The 
two boatmen, Auguelle and Ako, slept with their 
guns and swords by their sides. They declared that 
if attacked they would sell their Hves as dearly as 
possible. But Father Hennepin said to them, " I 
shall allow myself to be killed without any resistance. 
I came to announce tO' the savages a God, who for 
the world's redemption allowed Himself to be falsely 
accused, unjustly condemned, and cruelly crucified, 
without showing the least enmity to those who put 
Him to death. I shall imitate the example thus set 
me." 

The night passed peacefully away, and the morn- 



144 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

ing of the I2th of April dawned upon this scene so 
wild and picturesque. 

As all were gathered around their camp fires, 
cooking their breakfasts, one of the chiefs, Narke- 
toba by name — presenting a hideous aspect in his 
barbarian military trappings, his face and bare chest 
smeared with war paint — approached Father Henne- 
pin and asked for the peace calumet. Receiving it, 
he filled the cup with tobacco, and having taken a few 
whiffs himself, presented it to one after another of 
the whole band. Each one smoked the pipe, 
though some with evident reluctance. The French- 
men understood this to indicate that, for the present 
at least, their lives were to be spared. They were 
then informed that they must accompany the In- 
dians up the river to their own country. 

" I was not sorry," Father Hennepin writes, "in 
this conjuncture, to continue our discovery with this 
people." 









'm'ltrif 






i 




CHAPTER VII. 

Life with the Savages, 

Ascending the River with the Savages. — Religious Worship. — Abun- 
dance of Game. — Hardihood of the Savages. — The War- Whoop. — 
Savage Revelry. — The Falls of St. Anthony. — Wild Country 
Beyond. — Sufferings of the Captives. — Capricious Treatment. — 
Triumphal Entrance. — The Adoption. — Habits of the Savages. 

Father Hennepin and his two companions 
reembarked in their canoe, and, oppressed with 
varied feelings of anxiety and curiosity, recom- 
menced their journey up the river. The thirty large 
canoes, filled with their captors, surrounded them. 
The current was rapid ; the savages were seldom in 
a hurry, and their progress was slow. At night they 
always landed and slept in the open air, unless it was 
stormy, when they would sometimes construct for 
themselves a frail shelter. 

The devout ecclesiastic felt yi duty bound daily 
to say his office, as it was called, in accordance with 
the rules of the Catholic Church. He had his bre- 
viary, composed of matins, lauds, vespers, and com- 
pline, or last prayer at night. These exercises he 
scrupulously performed. The superstitious Indians, 
7 



146 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

seeing him open his book, and move his lips, imag- 
ined that he was practising some sort of incantation 
against them. Angrily they cried out against it, ex- 
claiming, in their own language, " witchcraft." 

Michael Ako, who had no ambition to receive a 
martyr's crown, entreated him, if he must say his 
prayers, to say them in secret. " If you persist in 
this course," said he, " you will so provoke the In- 
dians, that we shall all be inevitably killed." Au- 
guelle, who was more rehgiously incHned, joined in 
these entreaties, begging him to retire apart, morn- 
ing and evening, into the forest for his devotions. 

But the suspicions of the Indians were aroused. 
They had a great dread of diabolical influences. 
Whenever he entered the woods a party followed him. 
He could get no chance to pray out of their sight. 
At length he said to his companions : 

" I cannot dispense with my prayers, whatever 
may be the consequences. If we are all massacred, 
I shall be the innocent cause of your death, as well 
as of my own." 

To accustom the Indians to his mode of worship, 
he commenced chanting the litany of the Virgin. 
He had a well-trained, melodious voice. The In- 
dians were pleased with the novel strains floating 
over the still waters. Paddle in hand they paused 
to listen. Adroitly, he led them to believe that the 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 147 

Good Spirit had taught him to sing, and had sent 
him to them for their diversion. It would seem, on 
the whole, that the Indians treated their captives 
with remarkable kindness. The canoe of the French- 
men was heavily laden with articles for trade, and 
there were but three to paddle. They therefore 
found it very difficult to keep up with the well-manned 
war canoes of the savages. The chief placed one or 
two warriors on board the Frenchmen's boat, to help 
them stem the current. It was with difficulty that 
the little fleet accomplished more than twenty or 
twenty-five miles a day. 

The savages were collected from various villages, 
and it was quite evident that they were still divided 
in opinion respecting the disposition to be made of 
their prisoners. One of the chiefs took the French- 
men under his special protection. He caused them, 
at each encampment, to occupy the same cabin with 
him, or to sleep by his side. But there was another 
chief who clamored for their death. He had lost a 
son, killed by the Miamis. Every night his dismal 
howUngs were heard, as he wailed piteously, endeav- 
oring to stimulate his own passions, and to rouse his 
comrades to kill the Frenchmen, so as to seize their 
arms and avenge themselves upon the Miamis. 

But others, who were far more considerate, said, 
" If we kill or rob these Frenchmen, we shall soon 



148 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

use up the few goods they have in their canoe, and 
no other Frenchmen will dare to visit us to bring us 
more. But, if we treat them kindly, and purchase 
their goods fairly, others will come, bringing a great 
abundance. Thus we can all sell our skins and furs, 
and supply the whole tribe with the things we so 
greatly need. 

As they were paddling along one day, a large 
flock of turkeys was seen feeding near the river. 
Cautiously Father Hennepin paddled near them, and 
one of his boatmen, taking careful aim, struck down 
three with a single shot. The savages, who had 
watched the proceeding with intense interest, were 
amazed. Many of them, perhaps all, had never seen 
a gun discharged before, though the knowledge of 
the arrival of the French, and the wonderful power 
of their guns, had been widely spread through the 
tribes. The canoes were all paddled to the shore. 
With the deepest interest they examined the dead 
turkeys, and reexamined the musket. The unseen 
bolt had struck them down at twice the distance 
their arrows would reach. . An arrow could have 
killed but one. The bullet had killed three. " Manza 
ouacangege," exclaimed one of the chiefs, in aston- 
ishment, which signified, The iron has understanding. 

The situation of the Frenchmen was very peculiar, 
as they hardly knew whether the savages regarded 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 1 49 

them as prisoners or not. Father Hennepin was 
still pursuing his original design of exploring the 
sources of the Mississippi. If the Indians were truly 
friendly, their companionship was an element of 
safety, and was to be desired. In order to test the 
question whether he was his own master, and could 
follow his own will, he suggested to the chief his 
design of turning back and following down the Mis- 
sissippi to its mouth. He might thus find a short 
passage to the Indies, though he admits that he 
thought it more probable that it emptied into the 
Gulf of Mexico, than into the Red Sea. The chiefs 
however, promptly signified that they could not con- 
sent to be thus deprived of the pleasure of his 
company. 

Though the Indians paddled all day long, with 
great vigor, against the current, not stopping even to 
eat until their night's encampment, they never 
seemed at all fatigued. There was an ample supply 
of game for food. Having reared their frail shelters, 
if it rained, kindled their fires and cooked their sup- 
pers, they invariably had a war dance, each smoking 
in turn the war calumet. This was distinguished 
from the peace calumet by different colored feathers. 
Their whoops and yells were hideous. And there 
was something indescribably mournful in the wailings 
of those who had lost relatives during the war. 



150 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Fortunately for the French, all their expeditions 
had thus far been conducted under the control of 
religious men. Not an Indian had been killed or 
wronged by them. They had proved only great 
benefactors to the Indians. Had a solitary Indian 
been killed by any Frenchmen, these captives, in 
revenge, would have been put to death with tortures 
of the most diaboHcal cruelty. Had any Miami war- 
riors fallen into the hands of these savages, awful 
would have been their doom. Father Hennepin and 
his companions could not but shudder as they 
listened to the wailing yells of those who mourned 
their dead, and witnessed the fiend-like expression 
of their countenances and gestures. 

With the earliest dawn, after the night's encamp- 
ment, some one gave a whoop, which instantly 
brought every man to his feet. No time was lost in 
washing or dressing. They generally, as a measure 
of protection against their enemies, endeavored to 
encamp upon the point of an island. While some 
went out to hunt for game, others replenished the 
fires, and cooked the breakfast, while still others 
sought the neighboring eminences to discover 
whether there were any smoke or other indications 
of a lurking foe. They then entered their birch 
canoes, which they did not leave until the close of 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 151 

the afternoon, when they landed for another night's 
encampment. 

Thus for nineteen days they continued ascend- 
ing the river. Father Hennepin estimated that they 
had made between three and four hundred miles. 

One afternoon, as the thirty canoes were being 
paddled up the stream in a long Hne, a large bear was 
seen swimming across the river, a little above them. 
The canoes in advance promptly surrounded him, 
and he was speedily killed. Upon dragging him 
ashore he proved to be a monster in size, and very 
fat. It so happened that they were opposite a very 
beautiful prairie. The head chief, whose name was 
Aguipaguetin, ordered all the canoes ashore for a 
grand feast. The warriors decorated themselves 
with paint and feathers, and after partaking of what 
they considered a sumptuous feast, commenced the 
wild orgies of the war dance, with hideous yellings 
and contortions. They all leaped about on the 
greensward of the prairie, with their arms akimbo, 
and violently beating the ground with their feet, in 
measured tread. 

The wailing for the dead was blended with their 
discordant cries. One of the chiefs who was very 
loud in his demonstrations of grief for his lost son, 
and who had previously urged putting the French- 
men to death, frequently in the course of the frantic 



152 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

dance approached the Frenchmen, and placing his 
hands on each one of their heads, uttered the most 
piercing dirge-Hke cries. Father Hennepin could 
not understand the significance of this strange cere- 
mony, but he had many fears that it indicated 
violence to come. 

Hoping to conciliate the chief, he made him a 
very valuable present of knives, axes, beads, and 
tobacco in honor of the son whose loss he so deeply 
deplored. By these frequent presents, the small 
store of goods which the canoe could hold was 
rapidly disappearing. They were then on the 
borders of a wide expansion of the Mississippi resem- 
bling a lake. Father Hennepin gave it the name of 
Pepin, or the 'Lake of Tears, from the lugubrious 
cries of the chieftain in the funereal dance. The 
next day, or day after, quite a large herd of buf- 
aloes was seen swimming across the river. The 
enormous creatures, thus taken at disadvantage, were 
easily killed. Thirty or forty, pierced by arrows and 
javelins, were soon dragged ashore. The savages 
had another feast, from the tongues and other most 
delicate morsels of the animal. All the remainder 
was left to putrefy, or be devoured by wild beasts. 
The frail canoes were so crowded that there was no 
room to store away any game. Neither was there 
need to do so, for every day brought almost invaria- 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 1 53 

bly a full supply. It required hunger, and an 
acquired appetite for such food, to make it palatable ; 
for it was eaten without bread or salt, or any other 
seasoning. 

Some days the Indians seemed very good natured. 
Again, with no known cause, they were morose and 
threatening. Even the chief who had protected 
them was as capricious in his conduct as a child. 
He would at times feed them abundantly, minister 
to all their wants, and caress them. Again he would 
allow them, in a stormy night, to be driven from his 
cabin, to find such shelter as they could. Usually 
some Indians would be placed in their canoe, to 
help them paddle. Again they would be left to 
struggle unaided against the rushing flood. The 
Frenchmen could not speak a word of the language 
of their captors, or understand a word spoken to 
them. It is probable that they often misunderstood 
the significance of signs. But there was no diffi- 
culty in perceiving the difference between smiles 
and frowns, between blessings and curses. 

On the nineteenth day of their navigation, the 
Indians reached one of their villages on the river 
banks. It was afterwards found that this spot was 
about twenty-five miles below a remarkable fall in 
the river, to which Father Hennepin gave, in honor 
of his patron saint, the name of the Falls of St. 
7* 



154 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Anthony. This hamlet, far away in the north, was 
a cold and cheerless assemblage of savage homes. 
The famiHes, in the culture and comforts of hfe, were 
but slightly elevated above the brutes around them. 
There were several chiefs who had lost sons during 
the war. The captives were given one to each of 
three of them. Nominally, they were to be adopted 
in the place of the lost ones. In reality, they were 
slaves, to be driven farthest from the fire, to have 
the most scanty supply of food, in case of want, and 
in all things to endure the hardest fare. 

Having thus distributed their captives, the savages 
seized their property and divided it among them- 
selves. They probably did not consider this an act 
of robbery, but since the Frenchmen had been gra- 
ciously received as sons of the tribe, their goods 
should be appropriated to the public welfare. The 
village near the Falls of St. Anthony was but a 
temporary encampment. The tribe into whose 
hands the captives had fallen, was called Issatis. 
Their principal village was still farther up the river, 
nearly a hundred and fifty miles in a northwesterly 
direction. Probably in consequence of the innumer- 
able windings of the stream, they abandoned their 
canoes at the Falls, and commenced the journey on 
foot, traversing an Indian trail which led through 
forest and moor, over prairie and mountain. It was 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 155 

indeed a wearisome and almost fatal journey to 
those newly adopted into such hardships of barba- 
rian life. In those early days of spring, and in those 
high latitudes, it was often bitterly cold. There 
were remaining snow drifts, and deeper clammy 
mud and pools of water to be waded, skimmed over 
with ice, and freezing storms of rain and sleet. They 
encountered many rivers and swollen brooks, which 
they were compelled either to swim or ford. 

These streams, flowing down from unknown 
regions in the north, were often encumbered with 
large blocks of ice. There was but little game in 
those dismal forests, and on those sear and bleak 
prairies. The savages were pitiless, and would often 
give but a meagre portion to their adopted breth- 
ren. Father Hennepen often divested himself of his 
clothes, bound them upon his head, and swam across 
these streams. Upon reaching the shore, his limbs 
would be so chilled and benumbed that he could 
scarcely stand. The blood would trickle down his 
body and limbs, from wounds inflicted by the sharp 
edges of the ice. The trail invariably led to spots 
where the crossings of the swollen streams were not 
very wide. Several of the Indians were men of 
gigantic stature. Father Hennepin was a tall man, 
but his companions were very short, arid neither of 
them could swim. When they came to a ford where 



156 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the water was over the heads of the short men, these 
tall Indians would carry them across on their shoul- 
ders. When all were compelled to swim, they would 
help the unfortunate men across on pieces of drift 
wood. 

The Indians seemed to have sinews of steel. 
They were alike insensible to hunger, to drenched 
garments, and to freezing blasts. The celerity with 
which they pressed on their way, astonished the 
Europeans, On several occasions Father Hennepin, 
while traversing the broad bleak prairie, was quite 
in despair. His trembHng, tottering hmbs would 
scarcely support his body. Once, feeling unable to 
take another step, he threw himself upon the ground, 
declaring that there he must die. The rank and 
withered grass of the prairie was five or six feet high. 
Very deliberately one of the savages set fire to the 
grass. It burst forth in a consuming flame. ^' Now," 
said he, ''you may follow us or be burned to death." 

On one occasion, when Father Hennepin had 
thrown himself upon the ground, in utter exhaustion, 
one of the chiefs of the party came to him, and pull- 
ing up a quantity of dried grass, made a soft bed for 
him to lie down upon. Then seating himself by his 
side, he took from his pocket two pieces of wood, 
very dry. One was a small block of cedar, with an 
indentation in the centre, about two thirds of an inch 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 1 57 

in diameter. The other was a round peg, five or six 
inches long, which fitted into the hole in the block. 
This block he placed upon his knee, and fitting the 
peg into the socket, spun it round with wonderful 
rapidity between his two palms. Soon smoke began 
to appear, then a few sparks were elicited, and then 
a gentle flame rose from the dust of the charred 
wood. He lighted his pipe, and after smoking for a 
moment, gave it Father Hennepin to smoke. He 
then put his hands affectionately on the Frenchman's 
head, and moaned and wept. 

What did this all mean ? Were the sympathies 
of the savage excited, in view of the sufferings of the 
white man ? Were his tears caused to flow in antici- 
pation of torture at the burning stake, to which he 
might suppose the victim to be doomed ? Or was 
this an act of barbarian nwurning over some loved 
one lost in battle ? Father Hennepin could not in- 
terpret the deed. But he greatly feared that it indi- 
cated dreadful woes to come — sufferings, the thought 
of which was sufficient to agitate even a savage 
breast. 

After a weary journey of five days, this party of 
forty or fifty warriors, with their captives, approached 
their destined village. It was far away in the north- 
ern wilderness, east of the Mississippi, which majes- 
tic stream had there dwindled into a rivulet. They 



158 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

were near the head waters of a river, since called the 
St. Francis. It was indeed a dreary and savage wild 
which they had penetrated, and from whose glooms 
the captives could not expect ever to emerge. In 
some way the inhabitants of the village had heard 
of the approach of the warriors, and quite a number 
of the women and children came out to meet them. 

In a sort of triumphal entrance, Hke that of the 
ancient Romans, they took Auguelle, dressed him as 
gorgeously as they could, in Indian costume, painted 
his face, daubed his hair with grease, and fastened 
upon his head a plume of eagle's feathers, brilliantly 
colored. They placed a gourd in his hand, contain- 
ing a number of round pebbles, which he was directed 
to shake for music, with the accompaniment of his 
voice, shouting a French song. The Frenchmen, in 
dreadful incertitude respecting their fate, were agreed 
in the conviction that it was good policy to do every- 
thing in their power to concihate their captors. 

The warriors were much chagrined in returning 
from their expedition without a single scalp, without 
a single captive from their enemies, without having 
even struck a blow. It was necessary for them there- 
fore to make as much parade as they could of their 
French prisoners. Yet the most ignorant Indian of 
them all could not but perceive that there was not 
much to be boasted of in a hundred and twenty war- 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. 1 59 

riors having picked up three peaceful canoe men, who 
had made no resistance, who had never done them 
any harm ; w^ho had come into their country as 
friends, making them rich presents, and who unde- 
niably desired only to do them good. 

They could not utter the scalp halloo, nor the 
yell announcing that they were bringing victims for 
the stake. But they made the forest resound with 
their war-whoops, and with their shouts of triumph. 
During the absence of the war party, the women and 
the old men had planted several stakes, and had 
gathered around their large quantities of dried grass, 
with which they intended to scorch and blister and 
consume the prisoners, whom they doubted not the 
victors would bring back. They were anticipating 
a grand gala day in dance and yell, as they witnessed 
the writhings of- their victims and listened with 
delight to the shrieks which agony extorted. 

Father Hennepin and his companions were 
appalled as they looked at these stakes and these 
preparations for torture, and feared that they were to 
occupy the places prepared for the Miamis. They, 
however, concealed their fears, carefully abstained 
from the slightest indication of anxiety, and assumed 
that they were contented and beloved members of the 
tribe which had adopted them. 

It was about the 21st of April, 1680, when these 



l6o THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

unfortunate men, who had been cradled in France, 
were led into the miserable hovels of this village of 
savages. They were all conducted into the wigwam 
of the principal chief. Here, much to their encour- 
agement, the chief presented them his own peace 
calumet, to smoke. He then gave them, in a birch 
bark dish, some boiled wild rice, seasoned with 
dry whortleberries. Half-famished as the French- 
men were, this was by no means unpalatable 
food. 

After this feast each one was conducted to the 
wigwam of the Indian by whom he had been adopted. 
These Indians lived in different villages several miles 
apart. The captives now found, much to their sor- 
row, that they were to be separated. Father Henne- 
pin was adopted by the chief Aquipaguetin, and was 
conducted nearly three miles, often through marshes 
knee-deep with mud and water, till they came to a 
considerable stream, probably one of the upper tribu- 
taries of the St. Francis River. Here five wives of 
the chief, with their canoes, were obsequiously wait- 
ing the approach of their lord and master. A young 
son of the chief was also with them. The chief 
informed them all that he had adopted the white 
man in the place of the child he had lost ; and that 
his wives were to call him their son, and that his son 
was to call him brother. 



LIFE WITH THE SAVAGES. l6l 

The women paddled the canoes down the dark 
stream fringed with gloomy evergreens and tangled 
underbrush, until they came to an island upon which 
there was a small cluster of cabins. Here was the 
residence of the chief. His wigwam was large, 
though but a single room, and was crowded with his 
wives and children. Father Hennepin was imme- 
diately presented with some boiled fish on a birch 
bark plate. But he was so very weak, from exposure, 
toil, and emaciation, that he could not rise from the 
ground without assistance. 

The medical practice of the chief was peculiar : 
but either in consequence of it, or in spite of it, the 
sick man got well. A small hut, called a sweating 
cabin, was built, very tight. This was made more 
impervious to the air by covering it with buffalo 
skins. A large number of stones heated red hot 
were placed inside, which raised the temperature 
almost to that of an oven. The sick man crept in, 
followed by four medical practitioners. The entrance 
was closed. The Indians then began to wail and 
howl, probably to frighten off the evil spirits, who 
they supposed had invaded the sick man's body. 
At the same time they commenced rubbing their 
patient violently from head to foot. The perspira- 
tion oozed from every pore, and fell from him like 



1 62 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

rain drops. The heat was intolerable. He nearly 
fainted, and was for the time greatly debilitated. 
This regimen was followed three times a week for 
two or three weeks, when, Father Hennepin writes, 
" I felt as strong as ever." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Escape from the Savages, 

Preaching to the Indians. — Studying the Language. — The Council. 
— Speech of Ou-si-cou-de. — The Baptism. — The Night Encamp- 
ment. — Picturesque Scene. — Excursion on the St. Francis. — Won- 
derful River Voyage. — Incidents by the Way. — Characteristics of 
the Indians. — Great Peril. — Strange Encounter with the Indian 
Chief. — Hardships of the Voyage. — Vicissitudes of the Hunter's 
Life. — Anecdote. — The Return Voyage. 

There was a singular combination of intelligence 
and childish simplicity developed by the Indians. 
Father Hennepin had a small pocket compass, of 
which they stood in great need. When they saw 
him turn the needle with a key, they were awe- 
stricken, and whispered to one another that it was 
a spirit which had become obedient to the white 
man's will. He had an iron pot, with three feet 
resembling a lion's paws. This they never dared to 
touch, unless their hands were covered with some 
robe. What could have been the cause of this 
senseless fear, it is impossible to imagine. The 
same men on other subjects would reason with great 
logical acumen. 



164 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

The good ecclesiastic was still very anxious for 
the conversion of the Indians. He manifested mora 
solicitude for their salvation, than for his own resto- 
ration to liberty or the preservation of his own life. 
He immediately entered upon the vigorous study of 
the language. Having learned that the phrase, 
" Taket chia biheu," meant, '' How do you call that," 
he commenced compiling a dictionary. He had a 
natural facility for the acquisition of languages, and 
made rapid progress. Fortunately he had paper 
and ink, and eagle's quills were easily obtained. 

Hour after hour he spent inquiring the meaning 
of words and the names of things. The chiefs were 
quite pleased in teaching him and in seeing how fast 
he was acquiring the power of talking with them on 
all familiar subjects. His writing the words was an 
inexplicable mystery to them. They would often 
question him respecting the names of things. He 
would refer to his memorandum and then tell them 
correctly. This not only surprised but seemed to 
overawe them. 

Father Louis Hennepin was called, by his two 
French boatmen, Pere Louis. The chief who had 
adopted him was one day exhibiting to some chiefs 
who were visiting his wigwam, this wonderful power 
of the white man in recalling a difficult name, by 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 165 

looking at the characters he had written. Very 
solemnly he said : 

*' There must be an invisible spirit who tells P^re 
Louis everything we say." 

Neither of the other Frenchmen could write. 
The dress of the ecclesiastic was much more impos- 
ing than that of the boatmen. He was a tall, fine- 
looking man, ever moving with that dignity which 
seems instinctive in one accustomed to command. 
The keen-sighted Indians were not slow in recognizing 
his superiority of rank, and all considered him in- 
vested with supernatural powers. Often, when it 
rained as they were wishing to go hunting, they 
would entreat him to sweep away the clouds. His 
-invariable reply was, pointing to the skies, '* The 
Great Spirit there controls all things. I have no 
such ability." They stood in awe of his spiritual 
power, and their good feelings were won by his 
invariable serenity and kindness. They contributed 
beaver skins, to the value of about one hundred 
dollars, which they presented to him to induce him 
to remain and take some wives and have a richly 
furnished wigwam. But he decHned the present, 
saying : 

" I did not come among you to collect beaver skins, 
but to teach you to love and obey the Great Spirit. 
I wish to live as you do, sharing your hard fare." 



1 66 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Very wisely he assumed that he came voluntarily 
among them, and that when the time came for his 
departure, no one would think of throwing any 
obstacle in his way. It was a time almost of famine 
with the Indians. The summer birds had not 
returned. Game was very scarce. There was great 
suffering for want of food. And these strangely 
inconsistent creatures, while affecting the greatest 
kindness, would conceal the little food they had, 
get up in the night and eat it secretly, leaving Pere 
Hennepin to the gnawings of hunger. 

** Although women," he writes, '' are for the most 
part more kind and compassionate than men, they 
gave what little fish they had to their children, 
regarding me as a slave made by their warriors in 
their enemy's country, and they reasonably preferred 
their children's lives to mine." 

One day a deliberative council of Issati chiefs was 
held, to consult respecting various matters. Pere 
Louis, having been adopted into the tribe as the 
son of the head chief, attended. He could under- 
stand nearly all that was said. There was a very 
able chief, by the name of Oui-si-cou-de, who had 
manifested great esteem for the father. He rose 
and said : 

" We all ought to feel indignant in view of the 
insulting manner in which our young men treated 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 6/ 

Pere Louis on the way. They were young warriors 
without sense, and perhaps knew no better. They 
robbed him and wanted to kill him. They acted like 
hungry dogs, who snatch a bit of meat frxym the 
bark dish, and run. They abused men who brought 
us iron and merchandise, which we never had before." 

Pere Louis had considerable medical skill, and 
had brought with him several simple remedies. He 
was ever ready to attend the sick, and his success in 
medical practice gave him great renown. A little 
child was dying. According to the belief of Father 
Hennepin, if it should die unbaptized, it was lost. 
But how could he baptize the heathen child of hea- 
then parents. Great was his anxiety, and fervent 
were his prayers for enlightenment. At length his 
kind heart obtained the victory over his theological 
creed. The solemn rite was performed with deepest 
emotion. Giving the child, a little girl, the Christian 
name of Antoinette, in honor of St. Anthony, he said : 

" Creature of God, I baptize thee in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 

To his great grief he could not say mass, for want 
of wine and the appropriate vestments, which had 
been taken from him. He however spread an altar 
cloth, which he had retained about his person, upon 
the body of the child. When the spirit had taken 
its flight, he gave the remains Christian burial. 



1 68 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

The news of the arrival of the Frenchmen in the 
villages of Issati, spread far and wide through the 
adjacent tribes. An embassy of Indians came to 
visit Father Hennepin from the distance of several 
hundred miles in the far west. They approached 
him with reverence, and had many questions to ask 
him. They were men of high rank and dignity, and 
their questions indicated much thought. 

" We live," they said, " in a much milder clime, 
where there are immense plains and boundless prai- 
ries ; where herds of thousands of buffaloes roam, 
and where deer and turkeys and innumerable other 
kinds of game are found in abundance. There is no 
hunger there, for food can always be obtained." 

They expressed the earnest wish to take Father 
Hennepin back with them. But his own tribe were 
just about to set out on a grand hunting excursion, 
to the sunny realms of the southwest. A hundred 
and thirty families, and also two hundred and fifty 
warriors, embarked in a fleet of eighty birch canoes, 
about the middle of July. The embarcation was a 
wondrous spectacle, such as civilized eyes have rarely 
beheld, and can never witness again. A canoe had 
been provided for the three Frenchmen. But the 
two Frenchmen were jealous of the extraordinary 
respect with which Father Hennepin was treated, 
and refused to take him on board. 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 69 

As this strange fleet in a long and straggling line 
(descended the St. Francis River, Father Hennepin 
stood upon the banks extending his hands in a bene- 
diction. Two Indians, passing by in a small canoe, 
seeing him thus deserted, paddled ashore and took 
him with them. This overloaded the canoe, and it 
began to leak. It required constant exertion on the 
part of Father Hennepin to bail out the water with 
a small birch cup, as fast as it ran in. The canoe did 
not weigh fifty pounds. Great care was necessary to 
preserve its equilibrium, for almost the slightest irreg- 
ular motion of the body would upset it. 

At night all landed. Sleeping in the canoes, or 
navigating them in the dark, was impossible. Here 
again one of the strangest of earthly spectacles was 
witnessed. Beneath the gloomy pines which fringed 
the stream, countless camp fires were gleaming. 
Men, women and children were running about in all 
directions. Some were cooking the supper ; some, 
rearing frail shelters for the night. There was chat- 
tering and bandied jokes and laughter. The proud 
warriors, despising any menial employment, strutted 
about with lordly air. 

Michael Ako was a most graceless fellow, and it 
was his influence which had excluded Father Henne- 
pin from the canoe. ^ But Anthony Auguelle was much 
more devoutly inclined. He was ashamed of their 



I70 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

conduct. In the evening he sought out Father 
Hennepin, and offered a poor excuse for not receiv- 
ing him into their canoe, saying it was so snaall and 
frail that had three been in it, it would inevitably 
have been swamped. The father was not deceived, 
though he accepted the apology. 

After four days' paddling down the St. Francis 
River, the little fleet reached its mouth, where it 
empties into the Mississippi. They crossed to the 
west shore of the great river, and encamped upon 
an eminence there. It was impossible for Father 
Hennepin to be very accurate in his estimate of dis- 
tances. He judged that they were then about twenty- 
four miles above the Falls of St. Anthony. 

At this spot there was a forest of birch trees, and 
suitable wood for canoe frames. They had com- 
menced the voyage with old canoes, which were frail 
and decayed, and in which they could not safely 
launch forth upon the turbulent flood of the Missis- 
sippi. The whole band consequently encamped for 
several days upon this eminence, to construct new 
canoes. The veteran hunters wandered through the 
forests and over the prairies, to hunt stags, deer, and 
beaver. The larger boys and girls brought to the 
encampment their arms full of birch bark, with care- 
fully selected twigs for frames. The experienced 
women, with nimble fingers, joined the seams and 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 171 

fashioned the buoyant and graceful boat. All were 
busy. 

But the hunters were unsuccessful. They brought 
in but little game. The whole community was fed 
upon thin broth, and there was but little of that. 
Father Hennepin, accompanied by Anthony Au- 
guelle, in their great hunger, wandered about search- 
ing for wild berries. They found but few, and those 
which they ate often made them sick. The surly 
Michael Ako refused to go with them. 

The tribe of Indians encamped in July, 1680, 
upon the Upper Mississippi, opposite the mouth of 
St. Francis River, numbered between four and five 
hundred souls. There was a great want of food in 
the camp. According to Father Hennnepin's esti- 
mate, they were about two hundred miles above the 
mouth of the Wisconsin River. He told the Indians 
that when La Salle left Crevecoeur for Fort Frontenac 
to obtain supplies, he promised to send to the mouth 
of the Wisconsin River, a reinforcement of men, 
with powder and guns, and very many other articles 
for traffic with the Indians. 

They therefore consented that he should descend 
the river to this point, to obtain the supplies. These 
strange men were too polite to intimate that they 
distrusted his word and considered this merely a plan 
devised for his escape, as it probably was. They, 



1/2 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

however, furnished him with a canoe only sufficiently 
large to bear him and Anthony Auguelle, with their 
needful luggage. By this contrivance, Michael Ako 
was left behind as a hostage for their return. 

The two Frenchmen set out, in a birch bark canoe, 
for this river voyage, going and returning, of four 
hundred miles. The only articles they could obtain 
to take with them, to meet the casualties of the way, 
were a gun, fifteen charges of powder, a knife, an 
earthern pot, and two robes of beaver skins, as 
blankets for the night's encampments. They safely 
reached the falls. Taking the canoe and freight 
upon their shoulders, they carried them along the 
well-trodden trail which constituted the portage. 
Here they found five or six of their Indian hunters. 
One of them had climbed a gnarled oak tree opposite 
the foaming cataract, and was offering the following 
prayer, which Father Hennepin took down on the 
spot. Pecuhar moans and wails, as of penitence, 
were blended with the prayer. 

" O Thou who art a Great Spirit, grant that our 
nation may pass these Falls quietly without harm. 
Help us to kill buffaloes in abundance. May we take 
prisoners who shall serve us as slaves. Some of them 
we will put to death in thine honor. Aid us to 
avenge our kindred whom they have killed." 

At the same time this devout savage hung upon 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 73 

the tree, as an offering to the spirit of the falls, a 
rich robe of fun, gorgeously fringed and embroidered 
with porcupines' quills, variously colored. A few 
miles below the falls, they met another party of four 
or five hunters. They were encamped upon a small 
island, and were feasting upon an abundance of buf- 
falo meat. The Frenchmen paddled ashore and 
joined eagerly in the repast. Scarcely two hours 
had elapsed ere four or five more canoes were seen 
descending the river. Sixteen warrior hunters of 
their own party leaped ashore. They seemed to be 
very angry. Tomahawk in hand, they knocked their 
cabin to pieces, and seized all the meat. Father 
Hennepin was astonished, and inquired what this 
meant. One of the warriors, who professed to be his 
uncle, replied : 

*' These men, contrary to our laws, have gone on 
a buffalo hunt before the rest. Thus, while they 
have furnished themselves with an abundance of 
meat, they have frightened away the buffaloes, and 
left us destitue. In punishment, we have a right to 
strip them." 

The two solitary voyagers paddled down the 
stream, as they judged, one hundred and sixty miles. 
During this time they killed but one deer, which 
they shot as it was swimming across the river. The 
July heat was such that the flesh could be kept but 



1/4 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

for a few hours. They saw many turtles. But for a 
long time in vain they endeavored to take one. The 
timid animals would plunge into the water the mo- 
ment they heard the least noise. At last they suc- 
ceeded in taking one of them. But as Father Henne- 
pin endeavored to cut off the turtle's head, he came 
very near losing one of his own fingers in its sharp 
jaws. The Frenchmen were very hungry, and had 
paddled their canoe to the shore. While the father 
was endeavoring to dress the turtle to be cooked, 
Anthony, with his gun, went back into the prairie, 
hoping to shoot some game. Father Hennepin 
chanced to look up from his work, and behold, a 
gust of wind had swept the canoe from the shore out 
into the stream, and it was floating rapidly down on 
the strong current. 

Unless the canoe could be recovered, this would 
prove a terrible calamity. Not a moment was to be 
lost. Divesting himself of most of his clothing, he 
plunged into the stream, and being a strong swim- 
mer, soon overtook the boat. It floated buoyant as 
an eggshell. He could not get into it. By pushing 
it before him he succeeded in effecting a landing, 
about half a mile down stream, and quite out of 
sight of the spot he had left. In the meantime 
Anthony returned. Seeing the half-dressed turtle, 
and the father and the canoe both gone, he was 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 75 

thrown into a dreadful panic. He could not doubt 
that some hostile Indians had appeared and carried 
them both away, and that he was abandoned to 
perish of starvation. He went back into the prairie, 
to ascend an eminence wdiich commanded a view of 
the country for some distance around. 

Father Hennepin paddled up the stream with all 
possible diligence, drew the canoe well upon the 
shore, and had just reclothed himself, when he saw, 
near by, a herd of sixty buffaloes, swimming across 
the river. Anthony had the only gun. The father 
ran back into the prairie, shouting for him with all 
his might. It was indeed a joyful cry which reached 
the ears of Anthony. Eagerly he responded to it. 
They sprang into the canoe, pursued the buffaloes, 
and succeeded in shooting one. They towed him to 
the bank of the river. The father paddled, Anthony 
holding the huge carcass by the horns. But they 
could not drag the creature ashore. They could 
only cut off the tender morsels and leave the re- 
mainder to float down the stream. In consequence 
of their great hunger they ate so voraciously, that 
they were both made sick, and for two days could 
not leave their camp. Father Hennepin writes : 

'' Never have we more admired God's providence 
than during this voyage. We co.uld not always find 
game. And when we did, could take but little meat 



176 .THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

with us, as our canoe was so small, and besides, the 
excessive heat spoiled it. When we embarked in the 
morning, we seldom knew what we should have to 
eat during the day. But the eagles, which were 
very common in those vast countries, frequently 
dropped from their claws large fishes, which they 
were taking to their nests ! " 

On the nth of July, as they were paddHng down 
the river in search of the mouth of the Wisconsin, 
they were startled by the sudden appearance of a 
large canoe descending rapidly upon them, contain- 
ing eleven warriors. They proved to be the chief 
Aquipaguetin, and ten of his braves. This savage 
chieftain had been very unwilling that his adopted 
son should leave the tribe for this voyage, though 
the other Indians had given their consent. There 
was a frown on his brow, and severity in his tones, 
as he asked whether they had yet found the French- 
men, who were to bring the goods. They all landed 
and eat together. Then the chief and his party 
started off, leaving Father Hennepin behind, and 
with vigorous paddling drove their canoe rapidly 
down the stream. Rather menacingly the chief said 
that he would go to the Wisconsin River, and that 
if the Frenchmen were there, he would take charge 
of their goods. 

After three days' absence, he again appeared, 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 77 

with his canoe of warriors, on his return. He had 
been to the mouth of the river. There were no 
signs of the Frenchmen there. He came back in a 
very unamiable mood. Father Hennepin had 
landed, and was alone in a frail cabin which he had 
reared as a shelter from the hot sun. Anthony had 
gone into the prairie for food. Father Hennepin 
writes : 

** Aquipaguetin, seeing me alone, came up tom- 
ahawk in hand. I seized two pocket pistols, which 
we had regained from the Indians, and a knife. I 
had no intention of killing my pretended father, but 
only wished to frighten him, and to prevent his kill- 
ing me, in case he had that intention." 

Probably the savage had no such murderous de- 
signs. He informed his adopted son that there were 
no Frenchmen at the Wisconsin, and none had been 
there, and therefore urged his return up the river. 
There was no alternative. But Father Hennepin 
and Anthony could not keep pace with the eleven- 
oared, or rather paddled, canoe of the savages. They 
crept along slowly after them. They thus paddled 
up the swift current of the Mississippi two hundred 
miles, running the risk, Hennepin says, of perishing 
of hunger. 

They had but ten charges of powder left. These 
they divided into twenty, and succeeded in killing 
8* 



i;8 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

some wild pigeons. At one time, for two days, they 
. had no food whatever, though they landed and 
searched for game. They found a fish whose flesh 
was almost putrid, dropped by an eagle. With bits 
of this they baited two hooks, which they floated 
from the stern of the canoe. Father Hennepin then 
fell upon his knees and prayed to St. Anthony that 
he would come to his relief. While praying, they 
perceived a strain upon the lines, and running to the 
canoe, drew in two fishes, so large that they could 
with difficulty take them from the water. They 
broiled pieces upon the coals, and the starving men 
made an abundant repast. 

The next morning they met the remainder of the 
Indians whom they had left above the Falls of St. 
Anthony. They were descending the river, in search 
of more southern hunting grounds. Michael Ako 
was with them. He had developed want of courage 
and energy which excited the contempt of the sav- 
ages. There was a large number of canoes, compos- 
ing this fleet, crowded with a motley group of men, 
women, and children. They had encountered herds 
of buffaloes, and were well suppHed with food. 

Father Hennepin and Anthony again joined 
them, and accompanied them back down the riv^er, 
as he says, about eighty leagues. But as we have 
before remarked, w^e cannot place much rehance upon 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 79 

his estimate of distances. The discomforts of this 
voyage must have been innumerable. The crowded 
canoes, the loathsome personal habits of the savages, 
elevated but little above the beasts, the blistering 
midday sun, the drenching storms and showers, the 
cheerless encampments, often upon the open prairie 
with no protection whatever from wind and rain, and 
the food often scanty, consisting of nothing but 
flesh, without any seasoning, boiled in earthern pots, 
or broiled upon the coals, must have rendered the 
excursion irksome in the extreme to civilized men 
accustomed to the comforts of European life. 

In our last chapter we left the Indians, several 
hundred in number, in a fleet of canoes descending 
the upper waters of the Mississippi, in search of 
game. The three Frenchmen were with them. 
They were somew4iere near the mouth of the Wis- 
consin River. Conscious that they were trespassing 
upon hunting grounds which other tribes claimed, 
they practised the utmost caution to elude their 
enemies. There were two hundred and fifty warriors, 
thoroughly armed with all the weapons of savage 
warfare, who composed the guard of the tribe. 

Whenever they landed, they selected a spot where 
they could hide their canoes in the tangled brush 
which often fringed the banks of the river. Some 
warriors were sent to the tops of the adjacent emi^ 



l80 'the adventures of la SALLE. 

nences to see if there were any indications of hostile 
parties in the vicinity. They then pushed back 
twenty or thirty miles into the prairie land, where 
they almost invariably found herds of buffaloes graz- 
ing. Without horses to aid in the pursuit, and with 
only arrows and javelins as weapons, the killing of a 
buffalo was indeed an arduous task. Still, in the 
course of a few weeks, a hundred and twenty were 
slaughtered. They jerked the meat ; that is, they 
cut it into very thin strips and hung them in the sun 
over a smouldering fire, so that it was both smoked 
and dried at the same time. 

One day an Indian ran a splinter far into his foot, 
inflicting a very serious wound. Father Hennepin 
made a deep incision in the sole, to draw out the 
wood. He was performing the painful operation, 
when an alarm was given, that foes were approaching 
the camp. The wounded Indian immediately sprang 
upon his feet, seized his arms and rushed to meet the 
enemy, regardless of his swollen, throbbing foot. The 
alarm proved a false one. A herd of eighty stags in 
the distance had been imagined to be hostile warriors. 
The excitement being over, it was with very great 
difficulty the crippled savage could hobble his way 
back to the camp. 

When Father Hennepin and Anthony Auguelle 
rejoined the Indians, they were again separated, and 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. i8l 

each was taken into the family by which he had 
been adopted. In their voyaging, as they passed 
from point to point in the river, there was assigned 
to the father the duty of conveying in his small 
canoe, a shrivelled Indian woman, eighty years of 
age, and three little children. These long years had 
not sweetened the woman's disposition. She was a 
terrible scold, and often threatened to beat the chil- 
dren with her paddle. 

Thus they wandered about in this successful buf- 
falo hunt, until the close of July, when they were 
returning to their village far up the St. Francis River. 
They were here not very far west of the western end 
of Lake Superior. As they were returning, two 
wandering members of the tribe came in, and stated 
that they had been to Lake Superior, that they found 
there five Frenchmen, and that when they told them 
that there were three of their countrymen with the 
Issati tribe, the Frenchmen were very anxious to 
come to them, as they could not imagine by what 
roundabout way they had reached those distant 
regions. 

Soon after, they met on the Mississippi River M. 
de Luth, with five French soldiers, descending the 
stream in a canoe. There is some confusion in 
Father Hennepin's narrative here, so that it is im- 
possible to ascertain at what point of the river the 



1 82 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

two parties of Frenchmen met. On the 14th of 
August they all reached the villages of the Issati. 
As they were ascending the river they passed the 
grave of an Indian warrior. Many of the savages 
cast upon it some valuable article, in token of regard 
for the departed. Father Hennepin, who understood 
the Indians thoroughly, spread upon it a blanket. 
M. Luth contributed nothing. The generous act of 
Hennepin was exceedingly gratifying to th^ Indians. 
Soon after their return, they had a great feast, 
Father Hennepin and M. Luth were both present. 
In the midst of the entertainment one of the chiefs, 
who was a relative of the deceased warrior, brought 
in a large buffalo robe, very softly dressed, one side 
being brilliantly embroidered with variously colored 
porcupines' quills, while the curly wool remained 
upon the other. This robe was neatly folded, and 
upon it was placed a birch-bark dish filled with food. 
On this, as a tea-tray, he presented the dish to the 
father. After he had eaten the meat, the chief 
spread the robe over his shoulders, saying : 

" He whose body thou didst cover, now covers 
thine. He has carried tidings of thee to the land of 
spirits. Brave was thy act in his regard. All the 
nation praises thee for it." 

He then reproached M. Luth for not having 
paid any tribute of respect to the remains of the 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 83 

dead. M. Luth replied that he covered the bodies 
only of those who were chiefs, of the same rank with 
with himself. The chief replied : 

" Pere Louis is a greater captain than thou art ; 
for his robe is more beautiful than thine. We hav.e 
sent his robe to our allies who are distant more than 
three moons' journey from our country." 

By his robe the chief meant the rich dress, embroi- 
dered with silver lace, which the ecclesiastic wore at 
mass, and which he called his '' brocade chasuble." 
This garment had so dazzled the eyes of the Indians, 
that they had appropriated it to themselves as of 
supernatural splendor. 

Toward the end of September, Father Hennepin 
informed the Indians that it was his wish and that 
of his two companions, to return with the five other 
Frenchmen to their own country ; and that then 
they would fit out expeditions laden with goods to 
trade with these distant tribes. The Indians gave 
their consent. The length of the journey to Mon- 
treal by the route they must take, they estimated at 
twenty-four hundred miles. 

The eight Frenchmen set out in two canoes. 
They paddled down the St. Francis, and the Missis- 
sippi to the mouth of the Wisconsin. On their way 
they met a fleet of one hundred and forty canoes, 
filled with about two hundred and fifty warriors. 



1 84 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

The chiefs visited the Frenchmen, and treated them 
with greatest kindness. 

Entering the Wisconsin, they paddled up its lone 
and silent banks one hundred and twenty miles, as 
they supposed. They followed the same route 
which Father Marquette had previously pursued 
going in an opposite direction. They carried their 
canoes and their effects on their shoulders, across a 
portage of a mile and a half to Fox River. Here 
they reembarked, following a river of wonderful 
windings, and through a series of magnificent and 
beautiful lakes, and through a country which they 
described as charming in the extreme, until they 
entered the magnificent expanse of Green Bay, at its 
southern extremity. They had accomplished, as 
they judged, about twelve hundred miles of their 
journey. Father Hennepin writes: 

" I had not celebrated mass for over nine months, 
for want of wine. I had still some hosts. We 
remained two days to rest, sing the Te Deum, high 
mass, and preach. All our Frenchmen went to con- 
fession and communion, to thank God for having 
preserved us amid so many wanderings and perils." 

They purchased for a gun, a canoe, large enough 
to contain them all. With this they paddled a hun- 
dred leagues, until they reached Mackinac. The 
blasts of approaching winter were beginning to 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 1 85 

sweep these cold regions. Here they spent the 
winter. 

At this point they found, as they expected, an 
important military and trading post. Many Indians, 
even from remote tribes, were continually coming 
and going. Father Hennepin engaged very earnestly 
in preaching to the French, and in trying to teach 
the Indians the Gospel of Christ. They were deeply 
impressed with the heroism he had exhibited in his 
long and perilous journey. They said that the father 
must have been protected by the Great Spirit, for 
had any of the Indians attempted to go so far they 
would certainly have been put to death by these dis- 
tant tribes. 

Early in April, 1861. the father, with a few boat- /(^ ^' 
men, set out on his long voyage to Fort Frontenac, 
at the extreme end of Lake Ontario. A broad belt 
of thick ice still fringed the shores of these northern ^ 
lakes. For thirty miles they dragged their canoes 
over the ice of Lake Huron ; and then, as they came 
to thin ice, launched them upon this fresh water sea. 
They sailed along the lake a '' hundred leagues," 
closely following the shore, landing every night, and 
living mainly upon white-fish, which were caught in 
abundance, in twenty fathoms water. They passed 
" The Strait " and Lake St. Clair for ** thirty leagues." 
In the still waters of Lake St. Clair they killed with 



1 86 ' THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

an axe, thirty sturgeons which had come to the shal- 
low waters of the banks to spawn. Near this place 
they came upon an Ottowa Indian chief, wan and 
woe-stricken, who told him that he had been unsuc- 
cessful in hunting, and his wife and five children had 
all starved to death. 

Emerging from ^' The Strait," they entered Lake 
Erie, and paddled along its shores a hundred and 
twenty leagues. Carrying their canoes and effects 
upon their backs, they passed the great Falls of 
Niagara, and again took to the water, coasting along 
the southern shore of Lake Ontario. After a voyage 
of about ninety miles, they reached a large village of 
Seneca Indians, on the southern shore of the lake. 
It was the middle of May. These Indians had con- 
stant intercourse with the French in Canada, and 
were in cordial alliance with them. Father Henne- 
pin attended a council of the chiefs, accusing them 
of having enslaved, as h"e had learned by the way, 
several Indians of the Ottawa tribe, who were also 
allies of the French. The chiefs made many apolo- 
gies ; said that the deed had been perpetrated by 
some mad young warriors, and that the captives 
should be restored to their tribe. 

One of the chiefs, named Teganeot, speaking in 
in the name of all assembled in the council, presented 
Father Hennepin with several rich furs, which were 



ESCAPE FROM THE SAVAGES. 18/ 

valued at about twenty-five dollars. The father ac- 
cepted the gift, but immediately passed it over to 
the son of the chief, saying : 

^'^ I give it to you, that you may purchase such 
things as you need of the French traders. I cannot 
accept any presents. But I will report your kind 
feehngs to the French Governor." 

Reembarking, they continued their voyage forty 
leagues, when they reached Fort Frontenac. Father 
Hennepin was received with great rejoicing, as one 
risen from the dead. After a short tarry, they again 
entered their canoes, and descending the rapids of 
the St. Lawrence, in two days reached Montreal, 
sixty miles distant from the fort. Here Count 
Frontenac resided. He was Governor of all the 
French possessions in the New World. 

" This governor," Father Hennepin writes, " re- 
ceived me as well as a man of his probity can receive 
a missionary. As he believed me killed by the In- 
dians, he was for a time thunderstruck. He beheld me 
wasted, without a cloak, with a garment patched with 
pieces of buffalo skin. He took me with him, twelve 
days, to recover, and himself gave me the meat I was 
to eat, for fear I should eat too much, after so long a 
diet. I rendered to him an exact account of my 
voyage, and represented to him the advantages of 
our discovery." 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Abandonment of Fort Crevecceur, 

Departure of La Salle. — Fathers Membre and Gabriel. — Their Mis- 
sionary Labors. — Character of the Savages. — The Iroquois on the 
War Path. — Peril of the Garrison. — Heroism of Tonti and Mem- 
bre. — Infamous Conduct of the Young Savages. — Flight of the 
Illinois. — Fort Abandoned. — Death of Father Gabriel. — Suffer- 
ings of the Journey to Mackinac. 

It will be remembered that on the last of Febru- 
ary, 1680, M. La Salle left the fort at Crevecceur, 
with four Frenchmen and an Indian guide, for his 
perilous journey of four hundred leagues, through 
the pathless wilderness, to Frontenac, at the eastern 
extremity of Lake Ontario. His chosen companion, 
Lieutenant Tonti, was intrusted with the military 
charge of the garrison. Fathers Membre and Gabriel, 
both inspired with the noblest spirit of missionary 
enterprise, were appointed to instruct and, if possible, 
to convert the Indians. 

They raised a pretty capacious log-cabin, which 
was both their residence and their chapel. This 
humble sanctuary was every day crowded with 
Indians from various tribes. A very large Indian 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. 1 89 

village was on the shores of Lake Peoria, about half 
a mile from the cabin of the missionaries. Father 
Membre, a true apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote an 
account of the momentous scenes which transpired. 
To his narrative we are indebted for the facts which 
we now give. 

One of the chiefs, Oumakouka, adopted, accord- 
ing to Indian custom. Father Membre as his son. 
He ever welcomed him to a warm seat by his wig- 
wam fire, and presented him with tender morsels of 
game. While Father Gabriel spent the most of his 
time in the fort with Lieutenant Tonti and the 
workmen, Father Membre, who was soon quite famil- 
iar with their language, devoted much of his time to 
the instruction of the Indians in their wigwams. 
This was the arrangement which La Salle had made. 
He felt that the wild and reckless spirits in the gar- 
rison needed the restraints of the constant presence 
of their spiritual father. Individuals might otherwise 
be guilty of violating the rights of the Indians, and 
thus the whole of the Httle community might be 
involved in ruin. 

The large Indian village where Father Membre 
exerted his ministry contained a population of about 
eight thousand souls. There were also a large num- 
ber of villages within a circle of fifty miles in diameter, 
some of which belonged to other tribes. These the 



1 90 'THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

unwearied missionary frequently visited. All these 
Indians made their wigwams of mats of braided flat 
rushes. They were tall, well formed, and very skil- 
ful archers. But the good father does not give a very 
flattering account of the characters they developed. 
They were genuine loafers; idle, excessively super- 
stitious, quarelsome, under scarcely any restraints of 
law, and they would steal everything upon which 
they could lay their hands. Their lands were exceed- 
ingly fertile that, with very slight labor, they had an 
abundance of corn. Pounded corn, mixed with water 
and baked in the ashes, would afford but a meagre 
repast in the humblest log-cabin. It was deemed all- 
sufiicient in the wigwam. 

All who could afford it had several wives. They 
were as unfeeling as brutes. If a wife displeased her 
lord and master, he would mercilessly cut off her 
nose ; and with apparently as little concern as a dog- 
fancier trims the ears of a terrier. United with these 
execrable traits of character, there were others, to 
which we have already alluded, which were alluring. 
In the summer, the men often went without any 
clothing, except moccasins made of buffalo hide. 

These poor savages were engaged In almost in- 
cessant wars. Even the religion of Jesus, whose 
great mission was to bring peace on earth and good- 
will to man, has not yet been able to obliterate these 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. I9I 

sanguinary propensities from the human heart. 
England, France, Germany, are great slaughter- 
houses, where millions of men have hurled them- 
selves upon each other in demoniac strife. What, 
then, could be expected of savages. 

The Miamis of the north were organizing an ex- 
pedition against the Illinois. • The rumor reached the 
Indian village at Crevecoeur, and created great con- 
sternation. Lieutenant Tonti endeavored to inspire 
the Indians with a spirit of defence. He taught 
them how to surround their village with palisades, 
and influenced them to build a fort with intrench- 
ments. Some of the French garrison, weary of the 
restraints of the fort, deserted, and wandered away 
among the Indian tribes ; and so incorporated them- 
selves with the savages, in dress, in war-paint, in 
habits, and in taking Indian wives, that it required 
very close scrutiny to distinguish them from the 
Indians. 

The two missionaries, conscious that there was no 
substantial remedy for the ills of humanity but in 
the regeneration of the soul which the religion of 
Jesus enjoined, consecrated, with increasing zeal, all 
their energies in the endeavor to make French- 
men and Indians good men, new creatures in Jesus 
Christ. 

One of the Illinois chiefs, Asapista by name, 



192 * THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

became very strongly attached to good Father Ga- 
briel, and adopted him as his son. This was quite 
a favor. The generality of the Indians, like the pop- 
ulace everywhere, were exceedingly fickle. The 
friendship and caresses of to-day might be hatred 
and the tomahawk to-morrow. The adoption of a 
stranger into the tribe, as the son of a chief, was a 
great security against any sudden outburst of sus- 
picion, which might lead to massacre. 

The Gospel of Christ makes slow headway against 
the wickedness of man. As in our own enlightened 
times, the multitude listened, were respectful to their 
teachers, even reverenced them, but did not heed or 
obey. 

" With regard to conversions," Father Membr6 
writes, " I cannot rely on any. There is in these 
savages such an alienation from the faith, so brutal 
and narrow a mind, such corrupt and anti-Christian 
morals, that much time w^ould be needed to hope for 
any fruit. It is however true, that I found many 
of quite docile character. We baptized some dying 
children, and two or three dying persons who mani- 
fested proper dispositions. As these people are 
entirely material in their ideas, they would have sub- 
mitted to baptism, had ^ we liked, but without any 
knowledge of the sacrament. 

During the summer, the Indians wandered about 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. I93 

in large hunting expeditions. The missionaries- ac- 
companied these bands, seeking day by day opportu- 
nities to teach them. Father Membre also visited 
several remote tribes. He found much to discourage 
him. He said that their blindness and obduracy 
were quite indescribable. 

On the loth of September, 1680, when the In- 
dians had generally returned from their hunting par- 
ties, and were loitering about in indolent groups, 
with nothing to do, an Indian, from an allied tribe, 
came rushing almost breathless into the village, with 
the tidings that a united army of the Iroquois and 
the Miamis from the north, five hundred in number, 
had already entered their territory, and were on the 
rapid march to attack their village by surprise. He 
also made the astounding assertion that M. La Salle 
himself was leading this band of hostile warriors. 
There was no foundation for this last statement ex- 
cepting that the chief of the Iroquois wore a Euro- 
pean coat and hat. This led the courier to think 
he was La Salle, whom he had seen similarly dressed. 

The Indians, accepting this statement, of course 
believed that there was treachery. Supposing the 
Frenchmen at Crevecoeur were prepared to join the 
invading army immediately upon its arrival, they 
resolved to tomahawk them all. The peril of the 
French was great. The Indians, like children, were 
9 



194 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

apt to act first and think afterwards. The French 
were entirely unprepared for such a sudden change 
of feeling. 

But Lieutenant Tonti, whose presence of mind 
never forsook him even in the greatest perils, ran 
from the fort to the village, and assured the warriors 
that La Salle was not with their foes, and that he 
was ready to muster his whole force, at the garrison, 
with their fire-arms, and accompany the warriors to 
repel the enemy. This caused another change of 
public sentiment. All looked to the French as their 
deliverers. In a few hours several hundred warriors, 
with the French, were on the march. 

The arrow from the bow is but a feeble weapon 
compared with the bullet from rifle. The Iroquois, 
having had much intercourse with the French in 
Canada, were many of them supplied with fire-arms. 
They were allies of the French, and were very anx- 
ious to preserve friendship with them. The Illinois 
Indians, being more remote, had not been able to 
obtain the efficient European instruments of warfare. 

The two parties approached each other; and the 
Illinois, guided by Tonti, were placed in a command- 
ing position to resist attack. The allies were m-uch 
disappointed in finding their plan of assailing the 
village by surprise frustrated. They paused in the 
march ; and the two armies for some time looked 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. I95 

each other in the face, neither venturing to com- 
mence the assault. The result of the battle was at 
least doubtful. So many of the Iroquois warriors 
were armed with muskets or rifles, and had become 
so skilful in the use of them that, in Indian warfare, 
dodging from rock to rock and from tree to tree, 
they were fully equal to the French. Whatever 
might be the result of the battle, it was certain that 
many on each side must be slain. 

Lieutenant Tonti called the chiefs of the Illinois 
around him, and, after quite an earnest colloquy, 
induced them to consent that he should go to the 
Iroquois chiefs and endeavor to avert hostilities. It 
was a perilous enterprise. While some of the In- 
dian chieftains w^ere of much moral worth, there were 
many savages who were miserable wretches, and 
over whom the chiefs had but very little control. 

Lieutenant Tonti, partly from necessity, partly 
from choice, was dressed mainly in Indian costume. 
As the European garments of the Frenchmen were 
worn out, they were constrained to supply their place 
with deer-skin jackets and leggins, generally painted 
and fringed after the fashion of the natives. Thus 
Lieutenant Tonti, at the council of the chiefs, in gen- 
eral appearance resembled the rest. But the Chris- 
tian Fathers always wore a long black gown. As we 
have mentioned, they were called by that name 



196 'the adventures of la SALLE. 

among all the tribes, "The Black Gowns." Their 
teachings, their ministerings at the couches of the 
sick and dying, their utter renunciation of the char- 
acter of warriors, and their self-denying devotion to 
the w^elfare of the Indians, had caused them to be 
generally revered. But, among the untutored tribes 
as in almost every village of our land, there were 
''certain lewd fellows of the baser sort," who hated 
the clergy. 

Father Membre, with that calm, peaceful Chris- 
tain chivalry which cannot be surpassed amidst the 
tumult and carnage of the field of battle, offered to 
accompany Lieutenant Tonti on his mission of peace. 
The two opposing forces were facing each other, 
with the space of perhaps an eighth of a mile between 
them. Both parties were concealed, as far as pos- 
sible, though occasionally the nodding plumes of a 
warrior were visible, as he moved from one hiding- 
place to another. Lieutenant Tonti, holding high 
above his head, as a flag of truce, the gorgeously 
decorated calumet of peace, accompanied by Father 
Membre in his long, flowing black robe, boldly moved 
forward toward the Iroquois encampment. Several 
of the chiefs met him, and were surprised to find that 
he was a Frenchman. He addressed them in their 
own language, in substance as follows : 

" I bring you the calumet of peace. The Illinois, 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. I97 

against whom you are waging war, are our brothers. 
They are the friends and alHes of the French. The 
great father in Canada is the protector both of the 
Iroquois and of the Ilh'nois. He cannot see one 
destroy the other." 

The chiefs were deeply impressed by this state- 
ment. It would be ruinous for them to bring down 
the terrible arm of the French power upon their 
nation. The French could withhold entirely from 
them arms and ammunition, and could supply their 
foes abundantly with these terrible materials of war. 
Such were the thoughts of the considerate chieftains. 
They perceived the necessity of heeding the remon- 
strance. But the reckless young men, who had their 
reputation as warriors to make, and whose hearts 
were glowing with the thought of returning to their 
village waving gory scalps as the trophies of their 
heroism, were resolved that there should be no 
peace. To render a battle inevitable they determined 
to kill the two envoys from the Illinois camp. 

A small band of these ferocious, savage young 
men, crept up, cautiously and unperceived, to a spot 
within arrow-shot of the place where the conference 
with the chiefs was held. Suddenly they discharged 
several arrows upon Tonti and Membre, which 
whizzed by, fortunately, without hitting them. The 
perfidious wretches then rushed forward, with gleam- 



198 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

ing knives. The chiefs interposed to save those 
who were under the sacred protection of the 
calumet. 

One young Indian, with vigorous arm and a 
gleaming knife, aimed a blow at the heart of Lieuten- 
ant Tonti. As by a miracle, he escaped from death. 
The blow struck him to the ground, and the blood 
gushed forth from a fearful gash. But the point of 
the knife glanced from a rib, and did not penetrate 
the heart. All this was the work of an instant. 
The chiefs, veteran warriors, who had a reputation 
for honor to sustain, promptly drew their knives, sur- 
rounded the envoys with their protection, and drove 
off the assassins. Tenderly they bound up the 
wound of Tonti, expressed to him their grief and 
indignation, assured him that hostilities should cease 
and that they would immediately withdraw, with 
their warriors, back to their own village. 

The wounded lieutenant, aided by his clerical 
friend, returned to the Illinois camp, with the glad 
tidings that the Iroquois had consented to peace. 
Several hours passed, and the Iroquois bands, instead 
of retiring, were continually drawing nearer, in a 
very suspicious manner, apparently with the interr- 
tion of surrounding the Illinois, and cutting off their 
retreat. The Illinois chief held another council, and 
requested Father Membre to go back to the Iroquois 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. I99 

and inquire into the reason of their conduct. Father 
Membre writes : 

'' This was not a very agreeable mission to a sav- 
age tribe. Nevertheless, I made up my mind, and 
God preserved me from all harm." 

The chiefs received him kindly. They were 
ashamed of the course which the warriors, notwith- 
standing their remonstrances, were pursuing. They 
said to him frankly : 

'* Our real trouble is that we are starving. We 
expected to find abundant food in the Illinois village, 
and have consumed all we brought with us. Our 
march has frightened away the game, so that we can 
expect to find but little on our return. We are in 
danger of perishing for want of food." 

Membre brought back this message. At his sug- 
gestion an abundance of food was immediately sent, 
on many heavily-laden shoulders, to the Illinois 
camp. The good father accompanied this peaceful 
embassage, and slept in the camp of the IlHnois. 
Still the young savages were determined, if possible, 
to bring on a fight. They longed for the excitement 
of battle. The hideous war-whoop, with the shrieks 
of women and children, falling beneath their toma- 
hawks, was music to their ears. The burnine wie- 
wams, the mangled bodies, the bloody scalps, were 
pictures of beauty to their eyes. And, most glorious 



200 • THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

of all, to their purely unangelic natures, was the tri- 
umphant return to their village with prisoners to run 
the dreadful gauntlet ; and to writhe, and perhaps be 
forced to scream, beneath the fiend-like tortures of 
the stake. 

The next morning the Iroquois warriors, instead 
of turning their steps homewards, flocked, in large 
numbers, into the village of the Illinois. They were 
evidently bent upon picking a quarrel. They swag- 
gered through the streets, insulted the women, 
trampled the corn-fields, and went even so far as to 
disinter, and knock about the bones of the dead. 

It soon became manifest to all, that a bloody 
conflict was inevitable. The chiefs directed all the 
women and children to retire as silently and un- 
observed as possible, and hide themselves in the for- 
est, behind a distant hill. Here they were in the 
vicinity of a trail which led quite directly to the Mis- 
sissippi River. If the Illinois were defeated in the 
battle, they could by this line of retreat, cross the 
Great River, and take refuge with a friendly tribe 
upon the other side. Then the Illinois warriors, in 
a body, without venturing upon an engagement, 
abandoned the village to the Iroquois, and com- 
menced a precipitate flight to the Mississippi. They 
were not pursued. The Iroquois chiefs would not 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECGEUR. 201 

lead the young men in an enterprise which they 
deemed so dishonorable. 

As we have said, the control of the chiefs over 
the daring and lawless spirits of the young savages 
was feeble. The French garrison was greatly weak- 
ened by death and desertion. There was much 
reason to fear that the savages would fall upon them, 
and kill them all, for the sake of the plunder they 
would find in the fort. There was nothing to detain 
the missionaries. Upon the retirement of the Iro- 
quois, they would be left in a lone and silent wil- 
derness. 

Lieutenant Tonti, and his two clerical associates, 
Fathers Membre and Gabriel, held a consultation, 
and decided upon an immediate withdrawal. It was 
the 1 3th of September, 1680. Their desire was to go 
back to Mackinaw, which station La Salle would 
necessarily revisit on his return from Frontenac, with 
reinforcements and supplies. Their numbers were 
so diminished, and their departure so hasty, that 
they all embarked in one frail canoe. The chiefs so 
far restrained the young savages, that no attack was 
made upon them. But the leaders of this feeble 
little garrison were well aware, that in all probability 
bands of the young men would pursue them, to lie 
in ambush at some narrow passage of the river, and 
cut them off, if possible. 
9* 



202 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

They left the fort about noon, packing in their 
canoe only a few articles of absolute necessity. All 
the afternoon they plied their paddles vigorously, 
ascending the Illinois River, and passing through 
the broad expanse of Lake Peoria. Their canoe was 
leaky and heavily laden. The current was strong, and 
their passage slow. They did not venture to land 
until after dark, that the landing might not be seen 
by any foe, skulking through the forest along the 
banks of the river. They also took the precaution 
to seek their night's encampment on the side of the 
stream opposite that which was occupied by the 
Iroquois band. 

At an early hour the next morning they resumed 
their voyage, still ascending the Illinois River. They 
had paddled along but a few hours, and had reached 
a point between twenty-five and thirty miles above 
the fort, when their dilapidated canoe leaked so 
badly, that they were forced to land, that they might 
repair it. They were one the borders of one of Il- 
linois' most beautiful prairies. The smooth and ver- 
dant expanse, extending to the horizon, was dotted 
with groves, presenting a landscape of enchanting 
loveliness. 

Father Gabriel, as he could be of no service in 
repairing the boat, decided to walk into one of the 
groves, at a little distance from the river, with his 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECOEUR. 203 

prayer-book in his hand, that he might, alone in 
those lonely solitudes, worship his Creator. It was a 
temple for devout meditation and adoration such as 
no cathedral reared by man's hand ever presented. 

It took all day to repair the canoe. Hour after 
hour passed away, and Father Gabriel did not return. 
His companions began to feel a little sohcitude about 
his safety. Toward evening Father Membr6 set out 
in search of him. He was not in the grove. There 
were no traces of him to be seen. There were 
several groves in the distance ; and there were gentle 
eminences in the rolling prairie, behind which he 
might be concealed. The anxious father ascended 
one after another of these eminences, but nowhere 
over the vast plain could he catch any sight of the 
lost one. Again and again he shouted. The silence 
of the prairie was the only response to his cry. 

Greatly alarmed, he returned to his companions, 
who had now completed their repairs of the canoe. 
The whole party then set out on the search. They 
moved in various directions; hallooed, and fired their 
guns. All was in vain. Night had settled over the 
prairie, when they reassembled in great despandency 
at the canoe. Father Gabriel was greatly loved. 
He was a gentle, self-sacrificing man, of kindly 
words and generous deeds. 

The party crossed the river, as a precaution 



204 'THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

against an attack from any band of the Iroquois 
who might be following them. They then built a 
large fire, that its rays, shining far and wide over the 
prairie, might arrest the eye of the lost one, and 
guide him on his return. The morning dawned. 
Still there was no clue to the disappearance of 
Father Gabriel. The voyagers returned to the 
other side of the river, and lingered there until the 
middle of the forenoon. 

Lieutenant Tonti then said that it was clear that 
their companion had not wandered into the prairie 
and become lost ; for from any of the eminences he 
could have discerned the line of the river, nor could 
he have wandered so far as neither to have heard 
the report of their guns nor seen the light of their 
fire. It was certain that he had either been cut off 
by some prowling band of savages, cr that he had 
decided to follow up the banks of the river on foot, 
intending to enter the canoe when it came along. 
In either case it was their duty to press forward on 
their journey as rapidly as possible. 

For a long time they heard no more of Father 
Gabriel. Finally they learned that some young sav- 
ages, of the Kikapoo tribe, who were at war with 
the Iroquois, were prowling about when they caught 
sight of the father engaged in his devotions in the 
grove. His eyes were probably closed, and his whole 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. 20$ 

soul absorbed In prayer. There is one advantage 
which the arrow has over the bullet. It performs 
its deadly mission without making any noise. The 
wily savages, unseen and unheard, crept near, and 
piercing him with their arrows he fell dead. They 
took his scalp, threw the body into a ditch, covering 
it with a few leaves, and fled. When they arrived at 
their village they very boastfully exhibited the scalp 
of the defenceless missionary, as that of an Iroquois 
warrior. To obtain this renown was the only object 
of the cowardly assassins in their murderous deed. 

Thus died Father Gabriel. He was the last scion 
of a noble family of Burgundy. He had renounced 
his inheritance, and all the brilliant prospects of a 
courtly life, to consecrate himself to the service of 
his Saviour, the Son of God. In his own country, 
his family name, his many virtues, and his entire 
devotion to the ministry upon which he had entered, 
had elevated him to high positions of influence and 
honor. All these he relinquished, after he had passed 
his three-score years, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus 
to the savages of North America. He landed in 
Canada, in the summer of 1670. For some time he 
was employed as chaplain of Governor Frontenac. 
Here he was untiring in his efforts to instruct the 
Indians. Having become in a good degree familiar 
with their language and customs, he embarked with 



206 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

La Salle to establish new missions in the vast and 
unexplored regions he was about to penetrate. 

The good old man was now seventy years of age. 
For forty years he had been earnestly engaged in 
preaching the gospel of peace on earth, and good 
will among men. And now the blessed hour had 
come when God sent his angel to take the victor in 
many a hard-fought spiritual conflict, to his home in 
heaven ; for God can convert even the wickedness 
of man into an agency for the accomplishment of 
His purposes. 

How sublime the scene of his departure. It was 
a serene, beautiful autumnal day. The deep blue of 
the overarching skies were embroidered, as it were, 
with fleecy clouds. The waters of the river, clear as 
crystal, flowed gently by. The luxuriant prairie, 
brilliant with the bloom of autumn, almost entranced 
the eye as a garden of the Lord. In a majestic 
grove the veteran Christian knelt, at peace with God, 
with himself, and with all the world. His eyes were 
closed. His hands were clasped. His soul was all 
absorbed in prayer. Suddenly a shower of arrows 
pierce him, and he falls dead ! 

Dead! do I say? No! He awakes to a new 
Hfe of inconceivable vitaHty and grandeur. A retinue 
of angels are there, ready to receive him. In their 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. 20/ 

blest companionship he takes his rapturous journey 
to the bosom of his Saviour and his God. 

" Oh, 'tis a glorious thing to die 
As dies the Christian, with his armor on," 

The saddened voyagers, as they pHed their pad- 
dles in ascending the river, all unconscious of the 
fate which had overtaken the beloved father, had still 
a journey of nearly two hundred and fifty miles 
before them, ere they could reach their friends. The 
dilapidated canoe soon failed them entirely, and 
they were compelled to abandon it. The remainder 
of the long journey was to be made on foot. Their 
destitution was alarming. They had no food but 
such as they could pick up by the way. Their cloth- 
ing was old, worn out, and very scant ; for they had 
been waiting for supplies to be brought them by La 
Salle. They had neither companion nor guide. The 
route they were to follow was in a northerly direction, 
through the pathless forests, and over the pathless 
prairies, many miles west of Lake Michigan, to the 
missionary station at the foot of Green Bay. 

Father Hennepin had left his cloak in the canoe.. 
They cut up the garment to repair their shoes and 
clothes. Often, in days of storm, they wandered be- 
wildered and lost. They found but little game, for they 
were not professional hunters. Their food consisted 
mainly of acorns and roots. After a journey of fif- 



^X^.v^^ 



208 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

teen days, and when almost starved, they were so 
fortunate as to kill a deer. Upon venison steaks 
they feasted luxuriously. 

At length they came to a little cluster of Potta- 
watomi wigwams. This powerful tribe occupied an 
extensive territory southwest of Lake Michigan. 
About ten years before, a delegation from the tribe 
had visited the French, and friendly relations were 
established between them. Very hospitably they 
received the worn, emaciate, and ragged wanderers. 
They fed them with such morsels as could be fished 
from the pots of the Indians. The wigwams were 
comfortable, affording ample protection from wind 
and rain. The weary wanderers, who were scarcely 
able to stand, threw themselves upon mats before the 
wigwam fires and slept long, long hours of rich en- 
joyment. 

Somewhat recruited by the repose of a few days, 
they again took up their line of march. After the 
endurance of great fatigue and many sufferings, they 
at length reached the missionary station at Green 
Bay. Here they were received as brothers, and here 
they passed the winter. Early in the spring, as soon 
as the ice had disappeared from the bay, Lieutenant 
Tonti and Father Membre set out in a canoe, with a 
few boatmen, for the station at Michilimackinac. 
After a prosperous voyage of a few days, they reached 



ABANDONMENT OF FORT CREVECCEUR. 209 

that important point in safety. They had been there 
but a short time, when a small fleet of canoes came 
paddling into the harbor. It was about the middle 
of June. To their great joy they found that it was 
an expedition of La Salle, and that he was on board. 
He had a sad story to tell of disasters and sufferings, 
which we must reserve for our next chapter. 



CHAPTER X. 
La Salle s Second Exploring Tour. 

Disasters. — Energy of La Salle. — The Embarcation. — Navigating 
the Lakes, — Sunshine and Storm, Beauty and Desolation.— Ruins 
at Crevecoeur. — Steps Retraced. — Christian Character of La 
Salle. — Arrival at Mackinaw. — The Enterprise Renewed — 
Travelling on the Ice. — Descent of the Illinois River. — Entering 
the Mississippi. — Voyage of the Canoes. — Adventures with the 
Indians. 

It will be remembered that late in February, 
t68o, La Salle left Crevecoeur for Frontenac, to ob- 
tain supplies. We have no-record of the details of 
that wonderful journey of four hundred leagues 
through the wilderness. He reached the post after 
a long and exhausting journey. There he encoun- 
tered tidings of disaster sufficient to crush the stoutest 
heart. The Griffin had foundered, when but a few 
days out from Green Bay. All on board perished ; 
and the whole of La Salle's fortune, consisting of 
ten thousand dollars' worth of furs, had gone down 
into the bottom of the lake. 

The rumor reached Frontenac that La Salle had 
perished in his vessel. He had sent quite a fleet of 
canoes, laden with articles for the Indian trade, to 



LA SALLE S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 211 

purchase all the furs they could along the northern 
and southern shores of Lake Ontario. The canoe 
men heard the rumor of the death of La Salle, and 
treacherously appropriated to themselves all the 
goods with which they had been intrusted. Before 
setting out on his first excursion, he had sent to 
France for more goods, to the amount of five thou- 
sand dollars ; a very considerable sum in those days. 
The vessel laden with these articles, after having 
safely crossed the Atlantic, was driven upon one of 
the islands of St. Peter, and everything was lost. 
There was no insurance in those days ; La Salle did 
indeed experience the truth of the adage that " sor- 
rows come in troops." 

Still the enterprise, energy, and noble character 
of the man was such that friends came to the rescue. 
The Governor was very desirous of continuing the 
exploration, to the mouth of the Mississippi, which 
La Salle had begun. It was his great ambition there 
to unfurl the banner of France, and there, in the 
name of his king, to take possession of the most 
majestic valley on this globe. 

Another small fleet of canoes was soon prepared, 
freighted with such articles, for use and traffic, as he 
would need on the expedition. The canoes, eight 
or ten in number, were large and strong. The party 
consisted of twenty-three Frenchmen and thirty-one 



212 ^ THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Indians ; fifty-four, in all. The statement seems 
almost incredible that, of these Indians, ten were 
women, and three were children. But Father Ze- 
nobe, who accompanied the expedition, mentions that 
the Indians insisted upon taking the women, as ser- 
vants, to cook their food, and to perform the drud- 
gery at their several encampments. Some of these 
women had children whom they could not leave 
behind. 

It was indeed an imposing spectacle, when, at an 
early hour of a still, sultry summer morning, this 
gayly decorated fleet of canoes pushed out from the 
little harbor at the fort, upon the mirrored surface 
of Lake Ontario. It was, to a considerable degree, 
a national expedition. The banners of France flut- 
tered in the gentle breeze over all the battlements 
of the fort. The forests and the hills resounded 
with the roar of the salute from her heavy guns. 
Hundreds of Indians crowded the shore to witness 
the departure. The Frenchmen returned the salute 
by a discharge of their muskets and by three cheers. 
The canoes speedily disappeared behind a headland, 
as the voyagers, with their paddles, pressed forward 
upon one of the most extraordinary expeditions ever 
undertaken by man. 

The voyage along the southern shore of the lake 
proved to be very stormy. Again and again the 



LA SALLE'S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 213 

gale and the surging billows drove them ashore. To 
the Indians, and to the Canadian boatmen generally, 
there was no hardship in this. It was the customary 
life of these men ; and to the Indians, the life to 
which they had been inured from infancy, and the 
only life they had ever known. Indeed the crew 
generally had no more thought of yesterday or to- 
morrow than the few dogs who accompanied them. 
The weight of responsibility rested only upon the 
minds of La Salle and his gentlemanly, highly edu- 
cated ecclesiastical companions. 

When landing, for an encampment at night, or 
forced to take shelter from the storm, they easily 
drew their canoes up upon the greensward ; turned 
them over to protect the freight from the rain, entered 
a little distance, the dense, primeval forest, which 
from time immemorial had fringed the shores of 
the lake, and there speedily reared a shelter which, 
to them, presented all the comforts which the palatial 
mansion offers to its lord. They spread their mats 
upon the floor. They built their camp fires, whose 
brilliant blaze enlivened the scene. They cooked 
their suppers, of corn-bread and venison steaks, 
which health and hunger rendered luxurious. They 
sang songs, told stories, cracked jokes, and enjoyed 
perjiaps as much as the mere animal man is capable 
of enjoying. 



214 ' THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

This is indeed the sunny side of such a life. But 
it is a real side. For such men it has a real charm ; 
charms so great that they reluctantly relinquish 
them for all that civilization can offer. But it must 
be evident to every reader of these pages, that this 
wandering, homeless hfe, has also its shady side. 
They, like all other men, had often occasion to say 
in the beautiful verse of Longfellow : 

" The day is cold, and dark, and dreary. 
It rains, and the wind is never weary, 
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall. 
At every gust the dead leaves fall. 
And the day is dark and dreary." 

La Salle left Fort Frontenac on the 23d of July, 
1680, about two months before the abandonment of 
Crevecoeur by Tonti. In consequence of the series 
of storms, he was nearly three weeks in reaching the 
western extremity of Lake Ontario. The canoes and 
the goods were then carried around the falls, to the 
station called Fort Conti, which had been established 
at the head of Niagara River. He did not reach 
this station until about the middle of August. 

Fort Conti had become quite a resort of the 
neighboring Indian tribes for trade. Here La Salle 
intended to lay in fresh supplies of corn. The sea- 
son had been an unfavorable one. The small crop 
annually raised by the thoughtless, indolent savages, 
was still smaller than usual, affording but a scant 



LA SALLE S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 21$ 

supply for the winter. The Indians were not dis- 
posed to sell. Many days passed away, and but little 
had been brought in. La Salle had quite a store of 
French brandy. He offered to exchange brandy for 
corn. The poor Indians, who would sell the clothes 
from their backs for intoxicating liquors, brought the 
corn in so abundantly, that the canoes were imme- 
diately filled. In one day, sixty sacks were urged 
upon him. 

On the 28th of August, 1680, the voyagers reem- 
barked in their canoes, and beneath sunny skies and 
with a smooth expanse of water before them, pad- 
dled joyously along the northern shores of Lake Erie, 
ascended the Detroit River, crossed Lake St. Clair, 
passed through the Straits of St. Clair, and coasted 
along the eastern and northern shores of Lake Huron, 
a distance of two or three hundred miles, until they 
reached the station at Mackinac, the latter part of 
September. 

The voyage from the head of Niagara River had 
occupied nearly a month. When the little fleet of 
birch canoes entered the harbor at Mackinac, Lieu- 
tenant Tonti, had just abandoned his dilapidated birch 
canoe on the Illinois River, in his retirement from 
the fort, and, with his few companions, was struggling 
on foot through the wilderness west of Lake Michi- 
gan, seeking also the same refuge. 



2l6 .THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

La Salle, entirely unconscious of the disasters 
which had overtaken his garrison at Crevecoeur, re- 
embarked, on the 4th of October. Following the 
same course he had pursued before, he paddled 
down the eastern coast of Lake Michigan, to the 
River St. Joseph. At the head of which river, it 
will be remembered, he had erected Fort Miami, on 
territory inhabited by the Miami Indians. It was a 
long voyage, with many obstructions from the 
autumnal storms, which seemed to be incessantly 
sweeping that bleak and harborless lake. After the 
tempestuous voyage of a month, he reached Fort 
Miami on the 3d of November. 

Eleven months before, on the 3d of December, 
1679, he had left that station, on his route to the 
Illinois River. Le Clerc says that four men were 
left in charge there. This is not sustained by other 
accounts. It is not probable that so small a number 
would have been left in a position so greatly exposed. 
But, however this may be, he found the Miami vil- 
lage in ashes, and all who dwelt in it dispersed. His 
log fort was also in utter ruin. It was a melancholy 
scene which met his eye ; another indication of 
man's inhumanity to man. 

The St. Joseph's River takes its rise in Indiana. 
For nearly a hundred miles before it empties its 
flood into Lake Michigan, it flows in a course of 



LA SALLE S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 21/ 

narrow windings, almost directly from the south. 
By paddling up this stream, in a canoe voyage of 
three or four days, or about seventy miles of our 
measurement, they came to a portage, five or six 
miles in length, by which they could reach the Kan- 
kakee River. 

This was an important tributary of the Illinois 
River. It will be remembered that it was by 
this stream that La Salle and his party, more than 
a year before, prosecuted their voyage to Lake Peo- 
ria. It was then, for much of its distance, rather a 
dismal stream, sluggishly winding through marshes 
lined with alders. Rapidly they paddjed on, day 
after day, through a country of silence and solitude, 
until they entered the broader, deeper waters of 
Illinois River. 

Still, as they descended this beautiful stream, 
which presented as attractive situations for happy 
homes as perhaps earth could afford, they passed no 
Indian villages, no solitary wigwam, no sign what- 
ever of human hfe. They came to the site where 
the Indian village had formerly stood in its pictu- 
resque beauty, with six or eight thousand inhabi- 
tants swarming around, in the various costumes, and 
engaged in the diversified employments of savage 
life. Naught remained but smouldering ruins and 
trampled harvests. Man bitterest foe, his brother 



21 8 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

man, had been there, and had left behind but the 
traces of desolation, blood and woe. Neither wolf 
nor bear could have been more merciless, or could 
have left behind them ravages so dreadful. 

The dispersion of the garrison, and the destruc- 
tion of all the works commenced and the stores 
deposited at Crevecoeur, was another blow upon 
the head and the heart of La Salle, apparently frus- 
trating all his plans. He must have experienced 
emotions of the keenest anguish. But this remark- 
able man, invincible by the reverses of fortune, pre- 
sented to his companions only a smiling aspect, and 
addressed tljem only with cheerful words. Having 
lost everything which he had expected to find at 
Crevecoeur, it became necessary for him to return 
to Mackinac. This required a journey by river, 
forest, prairie, and lake, of nearly five hundred 
miles. 

Immediately he re-embarked his whole force, in 
his canoes, and commenced the laborious ascent of 
the stream he had just descended so pleasantly, 
borne along by the aid of the current. When they 
reached the mouth of the Kankakee, instead of 
following up that stream, they struck across the 
country, by a portage directly north, until they 
reached the Chicago River. Here they again 
launched their canoes and followed down the wind- 



LA SALLE'S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 219 

ings of the stream until they came to its entrance 
into Lake Michigan, where Chicago now stands. 

At this port La Salle found fragments of many 
war-scathed tribes, in a half-starving condition. 
They informed him that the terrible Iroquois, 
composed of five united savage nations, and whose 
central power was in the vast territory south of 
Lake Ontario, had in overwhelming numbers invaded 
the valley of the Illinois. Many of their warriors 
were armed with guns purchased from the French. 
The feeble tribes fled in terror before them. The 
ferocious bands wandered in all directions. By day 
and by night the hideous war-whoop resounded. 
Villages were burned, captives were seized, women 
and children were slaughtered, and thousand of fugi- 
tives, war-bereaved, woe-stricken, fled to the western 
side of the Mississippi to seek protection by being 
incorporated into friendly tribes in those apparently 
limitless realms. 

Around the lovely shores of Lake Peoria there 
had been seventeen flourishing Indian villages. 
These were all destroyed, in awful scenes of confla- 
gration and massacre. The survivors fled beyond 
the Mississippi, six hundred miles from their deso- 
lated homes. And even to these regions the fero- 
cious Iroquois pursued them, thirsting for blood 
and scalps. 



220 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

La Salle was a Christian. He was interested in 
the religious welfare of the poor Indians, as the only 
instrumentality by which they could secure for them- 
selves pleasant homes on earth, and happy homes in 
heaven. He agreed with the missionaries, that if 
they wished to establish missions in those parts, 
with any hope of seeing Christianity make progress 
among the natives, they must secure them immunity 
from the horrors of war. This could only be done 
by uniting the remaining tribes in a firm union for a 
common defence. 

At the mouth of the Chicago River, La Salle was, 
as he thought, by the route he had taken, about 
one hundred and twenty miles from Lake Peoria. 
He reached this point probably some time in January 
1 68 1. The lake, for some distance from the shore, 
was encumbered with ice. Fierce wintry storms 
swept the bleak prairies, and piled the snow in drifts. 
It was almost impossible to journey, either by land 
or water. La Salle and his party went into encamp- 
ment upon the banks of the Chicago River, to wait 
a few weeks until the severity of winter was over. 
At the same time, though he knew not of it, the few 
remaining members of the garrison which he had left 
at Crevecoeur were seeking shelter from these pierc- 
ing blasts, about a hundred miles north, in the wig- 
wams of the friendly Pottawattomies. 



LA SALLE'S second EXPLORING TOUR. 221 

La Salle and his ecclesiastical companions im- 
proved these few weeks of leisure in seeking inter- 
views with the chiefs of the various tribes in the 
vicinity, and in endeavoring to unite them in a 
strong confederacy. He assured them that if they 
would thus be true to themselves, the French would 
become their allies and send them efficient aid. It 
was not until the 22d of May that he was able to 
launch his canoes upon the lake. There was then 
a voyage of about two hundred and sixty miles 
before him. 

About the middle of June his fleet of canoes was 
seen, coming around a point of land, as the boatmen 
rapidly paddled into the harbor at Michilimackinac. 
Here La Salle met Lieutenant Tonti, Father Membre, 
and their associates, as we have mentioned in the 
last chapter. The good Father Membre writes : 

*' I leave you to conceive our mutual joy, damped 
though it was by the narrative he made us of all his 
misfortunes, and of that we made him of our tragical 
adventures. Though La Salle related to us all his 
calamities, yet never did I remark in him the least 
alteration. He always maintained his ordinary cool- 
ness and self-possession. Any other person would 
have abandoned the enterprise. But La Salle, by a 
firmness of mind and constancy almost unequalled, 
was more resolute than ever to carry out his discovery. 



222 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

We therefore left, to return to Fort Frontenac with 
his whole party, to adopt new measures, to resume 
and complete our course, with the help of heaven, in 
which we put all our trust." 

We have no detailed account of the long voyage 
back to Frontenac, or of the return voyage to the 
mouth of the Chicago River. In the meagre narra- 
tives which have descended to us, there are slight 
discrepancies which it is impossible to reconcile. 
Entering Lake Michigan at its northern extremity 
through the Straits of Mackinac, they paddled down 
the eastern coast, passed the mouth of St. Joseph's 
River, rounded the southern curvature of the lake, and 
reached the mouth of the Chicago River on the 4th 
of January, 1682. The winter in that region was 
short, but very severe. The Chicago River presented 
a solid surface of ice. 

Sledges were constructed, upon which the canoes 
were placed, and dragged by the men over the ice 
of the river. This journey in mid-winter, over a bleak 
and often treeless expanse, was slow and toilsome. 
Having reached the point where the portage com- 
menced, they dragged their sledges, laden with the 
canoes, baggage, and provisions, across the portage 
to the Illinois River. They reached this point on 
the 29th of the mdnth, having spent twenty-three 
days in the exhausting journey. They were, at that 



LA SALLE'S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 223 

point, according to Father Membre's estimate, two 
hundred and forty miles from the mouth of the 
IlHnois where it enters into the Mississippi. 

Drawing their sledges upon the ice, they day 
after day followed down the lonely and silent stream, 
whose banks war had desolated. They passed the 
smouldering sites of many former villages, where only 
melancholy scenes of devastation met the eye. They 
reached Crevecoeur about the ist of February. It 
would seem that La Salle, on his previous visit, had 
repaired the ruins there, so as to provide a temporary 
home for his party upon its arrival. He found all 
things as he had left them. 

The river below Crevecoeur was free from ice. 
Having rested for about a week, in the enjoyment of 
warm fires, in their log-cabins, they launched their 
canoes into the Illinois River, and on the 6th of Feb- 
ruary reached the mouth of the river. They found 
the swollen flood of the Mississippi full of vast masses 
of ice, pouring down from the distant regions of the 
north. This detained them till the 13th of the 
month. They encamped at the same point where 
Father Hennepin had tarried. A short voyage of a 
day bore them to the mouth of turbid and turbulent 
Missouri. 

Here they landed at an Indian village, where they 
seem to have been very kindly received. It will be 



224 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

remembered that La Salle was still intent upon find- 
ing some short passage across the continent, of whose 
width he knew nothing, to the Pacific Ocean. He 
was much excited by the strange tidings he heard 
from the Indians here. They assured him that by 
ascending the river ten or twelve days he would come 
to a range of mountains where the river took its rise ; 
that numerous and populous Indian villages were 
scattered all the way along the banks of the river ; 
that by ascending one of the mountain eminences, 
he would have a view of the vast and boundless sea 
where great ships were sailing. We cannot now 
tell whether this was the mere fabrication of some 
imaginative savage, or whether such v;as the general 
opinion of the tribe. 

The next day, after a sail of about thirty miles, 
they reached another Indian village on the bank of 
the river. Here again they landed peacefully, and 
warmed the hearts of the savages by a few presents 
which were to them of priceless value. They jour- 
neyed slowly. They could not, in their crowded 
canoes, carry a large amount of provisions. Conse- 
quently they were under the necessity of making 
frequent stops to catch fish or to hunt for game. 
Not long after this visit of La Salle, a mission was 
established in this little village, which was called 



LA SALLE'S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 225 

Marou. It is said that most of them were converted 
to, at least, nominal Christianity. 

Continuing their voyage one hundred and twenty 
miles down the river, they came to the mouth of the 
Ohio. Here they made another stop to lay in fresh 
suppHes. The friendly Indians there informed them 
they could find no suitable camping ground for a 
distance of nearly one hundred and fifty miles, the 
banks were so low and so encumbered with rushes 
and dense brush. 

The voyagers remained at the mouth of the 
Ohio ten days, sending out parties in various direc- 
tions. One of the Frenchmen, Peter Prudhomme, 
wandering from his companions, did not return. 
There were many fears that he had been captured 
by the Indians, as some of the party had seen fresh 
Indian trails. The heroic La Salle was not disposed 
to abandon the man. He threw up some entrench- 
ments for the protection of his company, and de- 
spatched several well-armed Frenchmen, with Indian 
guides, to follow vigorously the trail of the savages, 
for the recovery of the captive if he had been taken 
by them. For four days La Salle tarried in his 
encampment at the mouth of the Ohio. 

On the 1st of March the detachment, sent in 
pursuit of the lost one, returned. They had seen 
and heard nothing of Peter. Five Indians, however, 



226 ,THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

had been seen, two of whom were caught and brought 
into the camp. They knew nothing of the lost man. 
Receiving only friendly treatment, they seemed quite 
anxious that La Salle should visit their village, which 
they falsely assured La Salle was distant but a day 
and a half's journey from the point where they then 
were. These Indians belonged to the Chickasaw 
tribe, which subsequently became quite prominent 
in the history of our land. 

With the Indians a day's journey was about thirty 
miles. La Salle and Father Membre set out to 
visit the village, guided by the Indians. They do 
not appear to have had any hesitation in thus plac- 
ing themselves entirely in the hands of the savages. 
But after having travelled day and a half through a 
country diversified with forest, prairie, and mountain, 
they became satisfied that the Indians were deceiv- 
ing them, and charged them with it. 

They confessed the deception, made some lame 
apologies for it, and confessed that their village was 
still at the distance of three days* journey. Without 
any apparent reluctance they accompanied La Salle 
and Membre back to the camp. La Salle then sent 
one of the Indians to the Chickasaw village, with 
several presents, and to invite the chiefs to meet 
him, some hundred miles below, as he descended in 



LA SALLE'S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 22/ 

his canoes. The other Indian consented to remain, 
and accompany his party down the river. 

Just as the voyagers were re-embarking, the miss- 
ing man appeared. He had been lost in the forest, 
and for nine days had wandered in the unavaihng 
search for his companions. Fortunately, the wea- 
ther was mild, game abundant, and, as he had his gun 
with him, he did not want for food. Cheered by his 
return, they rejoicingly entered their canoes, and, 
with cloudless skies overarching them, pushed out 
into the rapid current, to be swept along through 
realms to them entirely unknown, and to a point 
they knew not where. 

It was a singular and a beautful spectacle, which 
was presented by this flock of large birch canoes, 
eight or ten in number, filled with Indians, and 
Frenchmen in Indian costume, gliding down the 
broad, swift current of the river. The paddles glis- 
tened with the reflected rays of the sun. All were 
in health. There was no toil. New scenes of mar- 
vellous desolation, or beauty, or grandeur, were con- 
tinually opening before them. They were well fed. 
The mind was kept in a state of delightful excite- 
ment. The French are proverbially good-natured 
and mirthful. Each night's encanipment presented 
a scene of feasting, bonfires and innocent joyous 



228 ,THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

revel. These were indeed sunny days, and this was 
the poetry of travelling. 

The 3d of March, 1682, came. They had then 
descended the river, as they judged, about one hun- 
dred and twenty miles below the mouth of the Ohio. 
They were approaching, though they knew it not, a 
large village of the Arkansas Indians, situated on the 
western banks of the Mississippi. It was concealed 
from them by a bluff, and by a turn in the stream. 
An Indian, upon the lookout on the bluff, caught 
sight of the formidable looking fleet, far up the river, 
and, supposing it to be filled with hostile savages on 
the war-path, gave the alarm. 

The whole village was instantly thrown into a 
state of great excitement. The women and children 
fled back into the forest. The warriors grasped their 
arms and rallied for battle. As the fleet drew near, 
all unconscious of the commotion it had excited, the 
voyagers, not seeing a single Indian, were surprised 
to hear, on the other side of the bluff, the yells of 
apparently hundreds of savages. Their piercing 
war-whoops were blended with the loud beatings 
of a kind of drum which they had fabricated. 

Warned by these hostile demonstrations. La 
Salle guided his canoes to the other side of the 
river, which was here about a mile in width. He 
landed in direct view of the village. With hig 



LA SALLE S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 229 

customary caution, he immediately threw up some 
intrenchments, behind which his men, with their 
guns, could beat off almost any number of sav- 
ages. He knew not but that hundreds of warriors 
would cross the river in their canoes, to make an im- 
petuous assault upon him. 

Having thus guarded against surprise, and afforded 
the Indians a little time to recover from their first 
alarm, he then, unarmed, advanced to the water's 
edge, and by friendly signs endeavored to invite 
some of the chiefs to come over to meet him. 

Several of the chiefs entered a large boat, called 
a periagua. It was made of the trunk of an immense 
tree, hollowed out, and carved and decorated with 
immense labor. Such a wooden canoe was capable 
of holding a large number of warriors. The chiefs 
crossed the river until they came to within a quarter 
of a mile of the shore, and then they stopped, and 
beckoned the strangers to come and meet them. 

La Salle sent one Frenchman, we infer from the 
narrative that it must have been Father Membre, in 
a canoe, to meet them. Two of his Indians paddled 
the boat, until they came alongside of the periagua 
of the natives. Father Membre, familiar as he was 
with several Indian dialects, could not speak their 
language. He however held out to them the calu- 
met of peace, which at once won their confidence ; 



230 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

• 

and he found no difficulty in communicating with 
them by signs. He invited the chiefs to accompany 
him back to the encampment. They were six in 
number. Retaining him with them, in the large per- 
iagua, they speedily paddled ashore, followed by 
Membre's canoe, with the two Indian boatmen. 

Without any hesitancy, the six Indian chiefs en- 
tered into the redoubt which La Salle had thrown up. 
They appeared frank, unsuspicious, and cordial, and 
were made very happy by several presents which La 
Salle placed in their hands. They invited the whole 
party to cross the river to their village. The canoes 
were launched, and all crossed the stream, led by the 
chieftains in their wooden boat. The whole adult 
male population of the village crowded the banks to 
receive them ; and with every demonstration of 
friendship. But the timid women and children kept 
cautiously in the distance. 

Eight or ten large birch canoes, from which more 
than fifty persons landed upon the beach, presented 
a very imposing appearance. They were nearly all 
armed with guns, not for aggressive warfare, but for 
hunting and protection. 

The natives crowded around the strangers, con- 
ducted them up to their wigwams, which were very 
pleasantly situated on a rich and tolerably well cul- 
tivated plain extending back from the river. The 



LA SALLE S SECOND EXPLORING TOUR. 23 1 

guests were regaled with the greatest profusion of 
barbarian hospitality. These Indians had attained 
a very considerable degree of civilization. They 
had quite a large number of slaves, whom they had 
captured from tribes with whom they were at war. 
The fertile fields around were quite well cultivated 
with corn, beans, melons, and a variety of fruits. 
Peaches were abundant. Large flocks of turkeys 
and other domestic fowls crowded their doors. 
They were a very handsome race ; and it was ob- 
served that, while the northern Indians were generally 
moody and taciturn, these savages, beneath more 
sunny skies, were frank, generous, and gay in the 
extreme. 



CHAPTER XI. 
The Great Enterprise Accomplished. 

Scenes in the Arkansas Villages. — Indian Hospitality. — Barbarian 
Splendor. — Attractive Scenery. — The Alarm. — Its Joyful Issue. — 
Genial Character of La Salle. — Erecting the Cross. — Pleasant 
Visit to the Koroas. — The Two Channels. — Perilous Attack. — 
Humanity of La Salle. — The Sea Reached. — Ceremonies of 
Annexation. 

For several days La Salle and his party re- 
mained with their hospitable friends the Arkansas 
Indians. On the 14th of March, 1682, La Salle took 
possession of the country in the name of the king of 
France. He invested the ceremony with all the 
pomp he could command. An immense cross was 
raised in the centre of the village ; and the Chris- 
tian's God was recognized with anthems, prayers 
and imposing religious rites. Thousands of savages 
gathered around, gazing with delight upon the scene 
so novel to them. They had no conception of its 
significance. They supposed it a festival got up for 
their entertainment, as they would got up a war- 
dance to please their guests. As the cross was 
raised, Father Membre made some attempt to teach 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 233 

them the significance of this emblem of the way 
of salvation through faith in an atoning Saviour. 
He writes : 

" During this time they showed that they rel- 
ished what I said by raising their eyes to heaven, 
and kneeling as if to adore. We also saw them 
rubbing their hands over their bodies, after rubbing 
them over the cross. In fine, on our return from 
the sea, we found that they had surrounded the cross 
with a palisade." 

On the 17th of the month, the explorers re-em- 
barked, and continued their voyage down the river 
about eighteen miles, when they came to two other 
villages of the Arkansas tribe. Here they were again 
received with the utmost hospitality. Continuing 
their sunny voyage beneath cloudless skies and upon 
a glassy stream for four days, they came to quite a 
large lake formed by an expansion of the river. This 
sheet of water seemed to be fringed with villages. 
There were forty on the east side of the lake, and 
thirty-four on the west side, upon its banks. All 
were picturesquely situated and, in the distance, pre- 
sented an aspect of much beauty. 

The houses were well built, of clay mixed with 
straw baked in the sun. The roofs were constructed 
of canes quite gracefully bent in the form of a dome. 
Their beds or mats were raised on wooden bedsteads, 



234 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

and they had many convenient articles of household 
furniture. The bark of a tree furnished very fine 
white fibres, which they braided into blankets and 
other articles of dress. The head chief was an abso- 
lute sovereign, having the property and the Hves of 
his subjects entirely at his disposal. A retinue of 
slaves attended him. He was luxuriously clothed, 
fed, and housed. 

The village of the chief was at a little distance 
from the banks of the lake. La Salle was quite sick, 
and unable to go up to the palace to pay his respects 
to the monarch. He encamped upon the borders of 
the expanded stream, and beneath the shade of his 
roof sought repose upon his mat. He, however, sent 
Lieutenant Tonti and Father Membre with presents 
to the chief. In return, several men were sent to La 
Salle, munificently laden with provisions and other 
gifts. Soon after, the king himself appeared in regal 
state. First came a master of ceremonies, with six 
pioneers, to remove every obstruction from the way, 
and to make the path level for the feet of royalty. 
They selected a spot upon which the monarch was 
to give audience to his guests. The ground was 
carefully smoothed, and carpeted with beautiful mats. 

The monarch soon made his appearance. He 
was richly dressed in white robes. Two officers pre- 
ceded him, bearing plumes of gorgeously colored 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 235 

feathers. He was followed by another official, bear- 
ing two large plates of copper, highly polished. The 
king had the bearing of a gentleman. He was 
grave, dignified, and courteous. Having ever been 
accustomed to absolute command, he had that pecu- 
liar air of self-possession and authority which seems 
to be the inheritance of those who can boast a long 
line of illustrious ancestry. 

It was the 22d day of March, 1682. The scene 
presented was in the highest degree picturesque and 
beautiful. The widely expanded lake glittered in 
the sunlight as placid as a mirror. The villages of 
the Indians, clustered so thickly along the shores, 
were composed of substantial dwellings, whose 
roofs of curved canes, thatched with thick mats, were 
rounded into graceful domes. The barbarian splen- 
dor assumed by the monarch, the group of French 
adventurers, with their Indian companions, gathered 
near by, the thousands of the Taensa tribe, men, 
women, and children, standing at a respectful distance, 
silently gazing upon the scene, the little fleet of 
canoes upon the beach, and the encampment hastily 
thrown up — these combined to open to the eye a 
picture of peace and loveliness, which the pencil of 
the most skilful artist might in vain attempt to 
rival. 

It did indeed seem then and there, as though 



236 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

God had intended this for a happy world — for a 
world where his children might live together in 
paternal love, and with the interchange of the kind- 
liest sympathies. Though in the early spring, the 
foliage beneath those sunny skies was in full leaf, 
and the flowers in full bloom. 

" The whole country," writes Father Membr6, 
** is covered with palm trees, laurels of two kinds, 
plums, peaches, mulberry, apple, and pear trees of 
every variety. There are also five or six kinds of nut 
trees, some of which bear nuts of extraordinary size. 
They also gave us several kinds of dried fruit to taste. 
We found them large and good. They have also 
many varieties of fruit trees which I never saw in 
Europe. The season was however too early to allow 
us to see the fruit. We observed vines already out 
of blossom." 

The interview between the monarch and La Salle 
passed off very pleasantly. It was conducted mainly 
by signs. Smiles and presents were interchanged. 
For four days the voyagers remained the guests of 
these friendly people. They rambled through their 
villages, entered their dwellings, and were abun- 
dantly feasted. The natives seemed very amiable, 
quite intelligent, and were far in advance, in civiliza- 
tion, of the nations or tribes farther north. Father 
Membre was much pleased with their candor, and 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 237 

with the clearness with which he thought they com- 
prehended his instructions. They readily accepted 
his teaching of God ; and apparently comprehended, 
without any difficulty, the plan of salvation through 
an atoning Saviour. 

In truth, this doctrine is apparently the most 
simple and the most powerful which can be pre- 
sented to the savage. All over the world, the neces- 
sity of an atonement for sin seems to be implanted 
in the human breast. And when the missionary 
teaches the savage that God, our Heavenly Father, 
in the person of His Son has borne our sins in His 
own body on the tree, the most ignorant can com- 
prehend it, and the most wicked can be moved by it. 

On the 26th of March, La Salle and his compan- 
ions, greatly refreshed by their delightful visit, re- 
sumed their voyage down the river. They descended 
very rapidly, by the aid of the current and the paddle. 
Having sailed about forty miles, they saw in the dis- 
tance below them, a large wooden boat containing a 
number of Indians. The savages seemed alarmed 
as they caught sight of the fleet of canoes coming 
down so rapidly upon them. They plied their pad- 
dles with all diligence, and run into the eastern shore. 

La Salle, with his usual caution, landed upon the 
opposite bank. The two parties gazed at each other 
across the rolling flood, a mile in width. La Salle 



238 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

sent Lieutenant Tonti, in a canoe with several In- 
dians, to carry to the boatmen the calumet of peace. 
While the Indians plied their paddles, he stood up in 
the canoe, waving toward the boatmen the plumed 
badge of fraternity. As Lieutenant Tonti was cross- 
ing the river, a large number of Indians were seen 
running in, from various directions, and crowding 
the banks. When within arrow-shot of the shore, he 
stopped, still presenting the calumet, which all the 
tribes seemed to recognize and respect. 

All suspicion was allayed. The savages, unap- 
prehensive of any treachery, crowded their periagua, 
and the boat and the canoe, with the inmates on 
terms of the kindest fellowship, passed over to the 
French on the western bank. The two parties 
blended as brothers. The Indians were fishermen 
of the Natches tribe. They had a large village 
about nine miles inland, east of the river. Without 
any hesitancy La Salle, Father Membre, and a few 
others, accepted an invitation to accompany them to 
their village. 

There are some men so frank, genial, kind-hearted, 
that they win affection at sight. La Salle was such 
a man. With no special effort to make friends, his 
nature was such that the savage and the civilized 
man alike were immediately won by the fascination 
of his presence. Father Membr6 gives frequent tes- 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 239 

timony to these peculiar attractions of the chivalric 
pioneer. On this occasion he writes : 

" We slept in the wigwams of these savages. 
They gave us as kindly a welcome as we could desire. 
The Chevalier La Salle, whose very air, engaging 
manners, and captivating mind, everywhere com- 
manded respect and love, so impressed the hearts of 
these Indians that they did not know how to treat us 
well enough. They would gladly have kept us with 
them permanently." 

For three days La Salle and his companions 
enjoyed the hospitality of these friendly natives. 
About thirty miles below the Natches Indians, there 
was another powerful tribe called the Koroas. They 
were friends and allies of the Natches. A courier 
was despatched to inform the chief of the Koroas of 
the arrival of the distinguished strangers, and to 
invite him to come and share in giving them a suit- 
able welcome. He hastened to Natches with an 
imposing retinue of his head men. They also paid 
prompt homage to the dignity and the attractions 
of La Salle. 

Again a cross was erected, while admiring multi- 
tudes gazed admiringly upon the religious and civil 
pomp with which the ceremony was invested. A 
plate was attached to the cross, upon which was 
engraved the arms of Louis XIV. The In- 



240 THE ADVENTURES OF LA 'SALLE. 

dians were delighted with the show, and with the 
memorial thus left of the visit ; though they could 
not comprehend the significance of the rite as taking 
possession of their country in thename of the King 
of France. 

La Salle and his companions returned to their 
canoes. The Chickasaw Indian who had accompa- 
nied them from their encampment near the mouth 
of the Ohio, and which they had named Camp Prud- 
homme, from the man who had been lost and found 
there, remained at the village of the Natches Indians. 
The journey of a few days would take him to his 
own tribe. 

The chief of the Koroas, having invited La Salle 
to visit his village, embarked with his suite, in their 
wooden boats, and descended the river in company 
with the French in their birch canoes. A sail of 
about four hours swept them down to the village, 
which was called Akoroa. It was beautifully situated 
on an eminence, commanding a view of a wide-spread 
and exceedingly fertile prairie, with large fields of 
corn, whose spear-like leaves were already waving in 
the gentle breeze. 

The Indians were fond of ceremony. They held 
a council, presented the calumet, smoked the pipe 
of fraternity, made speeches which were but poorly 
understood, and exchanged presents. After a short 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 2 |I 

tarry, the voyage was again resumed. The chief 
furnished them with a pilot, telling them that it 
would still require a voyage of ten days to reach the 
sea, and that the river broke into several channels or 
independent streams as it approached the Gulf. As 
the Indians considered thirty or forty miles a good 
day's voyage in descending the river, it was estimated 
that there was a journey of between three and four 
hundred miles still before them. They were also 
informed that there were numerous tribes upon the 
lower river, but that they were generally well-dis- 
posed. 

On the 2d of April, when the canoes had de- 
scended the river about eighteen miles below Ako- 
roa, the river branched into two arms or channels, 
with an island between, which they estimated to be 
one hundred and eighty miles in length. They had 
been directed to take the channel on the left. But 
it so chanced that there was a heavy river fog, and 
they did not see it. La Salle's canoe was in the 
advance, and the canoe which held the guide hap- 
pened to be far in the rear. Though the keen eyes 
of the Indian pierced the fog, and he did all in his 
power by signs to show them that they were wrong, 
the whole fleet followed its leader, and were swept 
along in the channel on the right. 

The reason why they were cautioned to take the 



242 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

left branch, was that the eight or ten tribes on the 
western banks were friendly, and. would make them 
no trouble, while those upon the eastern branch were 
ferocious, and would be likely to attack them. They 
soon experienced the wisdom of the advice which 
had been given them. 

On the 2d of April, when they had descended 
the river about one hundred and twenty miles, they 
saw a number of Indians on the bank of the river, 
fishing. The moment the savages caught sight of 
the fleet of canoes they fled. Immediately the forest 
seemed filled with the clamor of hideous war-whoops, 
the beating of drums, and all other sounds of hos- 
tility. The branch of the river which they were de- 
scending, was here compressed into a narrow chan- 
nel. A dense forest fringed both banks. It was 
evident that there were populous villages near by, 
for the warriors were seen rapidly gathering, as 
they ran from tree to tree to get good positions to 
overwhelm the canoes with their arrows. 

The bows were very strong. The muscular arms 
of the Indians would throw an arrow with almost the 
velocity and precision of a rifle bullet. These barbed 
weapons would tear their way through the birch 
■ bark of the canoes as if they were but sheets of brown 
paper. With appalling suddenness this cloud of war 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 243 

was marshalling its forces. It was sufficiently men- 
acing to alarm the bravest heart. 

La Salle ordered all the boats to stop. He then 
sent one canoe forward, with four Frenchmen, to 
present the calumet of peace. They received orders 
not to fire upon the savages under any emergence. 
As soon as the canoe came within arrow-shot, the sav- 
ages, regardless of the calumet, let fly a shower of 
arrows upon them. Fortunately, they nearly all fell 
a little short, and no one was hit. With the utmost 
precipitation, the Frenchmen paddled back to their 
companions. La Salle then sent another canoe, with 
four Indians, bearing the calumet. They advanced 
with great caution, and met with the same hostile 
reception. 

He then directed the canoes to press as near the 
opposite bank as possible, to ply their paddles with 
all energy, and thus hurry by the point of peril. 
Humanely he ordered not a gun to be nred. He 
had no wish to engage in a battle in which nothing 
was to be gained. Very easily his sharp-shooters 
could cause many of those savage warriors to bite the 
dust ; and thus lamentation and woe would be sent 
to many of those wigwams. But this would do no 
good. It would not subdue the savages ; it would 
only exasperate them. He also remembered that he 
was to return, and that if the savages had received 



244 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

no harm at his hands, their spirit of revenge would 
not be aroused, and it would be much less difficult 
to establish friendly relations with them. 

Though the savages yelled, and ran franticly 
along the shore, and threw their arrows with their 
utmost strength, the canoes, swept along by the rapid 
current, and the sinewy strength of the paddles, all 
passed in safety. The kind-hearted La Salle must 
have congratulated himself that none were left 
behind to mourn. He afterwards learned that this 
inhospitable tribe was called the Quinniplssa. 

They had paddled down the stream but about 
six miles, when they came to other and still more 
deplorable evidences of man's Inhumanity to man. 
They found upon the banks the smouldering remains 
of a large village, which had recently been sacked 
and burned. It was evident that the Inhabitants had 
been given up to indiscriminate massacre, with the 
exception of those who had been carried away Into 
slavery, or to add to the revelry of a gala day. In the 
endurance of demoniac torture. The ground was 
covered with the bodies of men, women, and children, 
in all the loathsome stages of decay. Sadly the voy- 
agers rambled through these awful scenes for -an 
hour, meeting with no living being, and then hurried 
on their way. This village. It was subsequently as- 
certained, was called Tangibao. 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 245 

Still they continued descending the liver four 
days longer, without meeting any incident of impor- 
tance. Their day's sail averaged about thirty miles. 
It was always necessary to land for the night's en- 
campment. They had made, as they estimated, 
about one hundred and twenty miles from Quinni- 
pissa when they came to the delta of the Mississippi. 
Here the majestic river divided into four branches. 
At this point they landed, and encamped in the 
midst of a dense and almost tropical forest, upon the 
bank, but slightly elevated above the surface of the 
water. 

In the morning La Salle divided his fleet into 
three bands, one to descend each of these three 
branches. He took the one on the extreme right, or 
the western branch. Lieutenant Tonti, with Father 
Membre, took the middle. The eastern branch, on 
the left, was assigned to Mr. Dautray. Upon reach- 
ing the sea, the canoes on the right and left were to 
turn toward the centre until they should meet the 
party of Lieutenant Tonti, whose route to the sea, 
it was supposed, would be a httle shorter than that 
of either of the other two. 

They all found the water deep and brackish, and 
the current very slow. After sailing a few miles they 
tasted the salt of the ocean. Soon their eyes were 
gladdened with the sight of the open sea. It was 



246 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

mild, serene, beautiful summer weather. The region, 
as far as the eye could reach, was low and marshy, 
with no landmarks. The fleets were, however, all re- 
united in safety. La Salle having heard the report 
respecting the middle and eastern channels, decided 
to return to the western, by which he had descended. 

They then ascended this branch before they could 
find any dry and solid ground, suitable to afford a 
permanent foundation for the cross of Christ and 
the arms of France. On the ninth of April, they 
Avere all assembled on a ridge slightly elevated, for 
the celebration of this all-important ceremony. First, 
they raised a massive column, at the foot of which 
they buried a leaden plate, bearing an inscription in 
Latin, to the following purport: 

" Louis the Great Reigns. Robert, Cavalier, 
with Lord Tonti, Ambassador, Zenobia Membre, 
Ecclesiastic, and twenty Frenchmen, first navigated 
this river from the country of the Illinois, and passed 
through this mouth on the ninth of April, sixteen 
hundred and eighty-two." 

The names of all the Frenchmen of the party 
were attached to this plate. La Salle then made a 
speech, which was carefully worded, and seems to 
have been recorded at that time. It was in substance 
as follows : 

*' In the name of Louis the Great, and in virtue 



THE GREAT ENTERPRISE ACCOMPLISHED. 247 

of the commission I hold in my hand, I take posses- 
sion of this country of Louisiana, its seas, harbors, 
ports, bays, and adjacent straits ; and also of all the 
nations, people, provinces, cities, towns, villages, 
mines, minerals, fisheries, streams, and rivers, com- 
prised in the extent of the said Louisiana, from the 
mouth of the great river called the Ohio, and this 
with the consent of the people dweUing therein, 
with whom we have made alliance ; and also of the 
rivers which discharge themselves therein, from the 
sources of the Mississippi to its mouth in the sea; 
upon the assurance of all these nations that we are 
the first Europeans who have descended or ascended 
the said Mississippi. I hereby protest against all 
those who may in future undertake to invade any 
of these countries, to the prejudice of the right of his 
Majesty, acquired by the consent of all the nations 
herein named. Of this I take to witness all those 
who hear me, and demand an act of the Notary as 
required by law." 

To this the whole assembly responded with 
shouts of Vive le Roi and with a salute of fire-arms. 

The civic ceremony being thus ended, the trans- 
action was now to be ratified with religious rites. 
By the side of the column, a massive cross had been 
erected. The devout La Salle, who was earnestly a 



248 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

religious man, took his position at the foot of the 
cross, and said : 

" His Majesty, Louis the Great, the eldest son 
of the Church, will annex no country to his crown 
without making it his chief care to establish the 
Christian religion therein. Its symbol must now be 
recognized." Several Christian hymns were then 
chanted. The sublime strains of the Te Deum 
resounded through the arches of the forest ; and 
other ceremonies of the Catholic Church were per- 
formed with all the pomp which the circumstances 
would allow. 

Thus the great achievement was accomplished. 
According to the then existing law of nations, the 
whole valley of the Mississippi was annexed to France. 
It was indeed a magnificent acquisition. It is esti- 
mated that the kingdom of France comprises an extent 
not quite three hundred thousand square miles. It 
is judged that the valley of the Mississippi drains a 
region of one million square miles. Thns the pio- 
neer. La Salle, conferred upon France a territory 
more than three times as large as the kingdom of 
France itself. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Return Voyage. 

The Numerous Alligators. — Destitution of Provisions. — Encounter- 
ing Hostile Indians. — A Naval Battle. -Visit to the Village. — 
Treochery of the Savages. — The Attack.- Humane Conduct of La 
Salle. — Visit to the Friendly Taensas.— Severe Sickness of La 
Salle. — His Long Detention at Prudhomme. — The Sick Man's 
Camp. — Lieutenant Tonti sent Forward. — Recovery of La Salle. 
— His Arrival at Fort Miami. 

There was no game to be taken in the vast 
swamps at the mouth of the river. The provisions 
of the voyagers were nearly exhausted. They, how- 
ever, chanced to find an abandoned Indian camp, 
where there was a small quantity of strips of the flesh 
of some animal, dried in the sun. As they were 
eagerly eating it, the Indians who accompanied 
them informed them that it was human flesh. It is 
needless to say that they could eat no more ; though 
the savages, who devoured it with much gusto, de- 
clared that it was exceedingly delicate and savory. 

On the lOth of April, the next day after the 
ceremony of annexation, they commenced their toil- 
some ascent of the river on their voyage back. 
II* 



250 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Enormous alligators were often met with, sunning 
themselves on the sand-bars. The sharp-shooters 
soon learned where the bullet would strike a vul- 
nerable point. For several days they lived mainly 
on wild potatoes and the flesh of alligators. The 
country was so low, and so bordered with almost im- 
penetrable canes, that they could not hunt without 
making long delays. At length they reached the 
blackened ruins and the mouldering dead of Tangi- 
bao. The desolation remained complete. None 
had returned. 

It was a matter of the utmost importance, appar- 
ently of absolute" necessity, that they should lay in 
a store of corn. There was so much uncertainty as 
to hunting, that they might be many days without 
food, and thus perish. But a pint of corn, pounded 
into meal and baked in the ashes, would afford a 
hungry man a very nutritious dinner. And if so 
successful as to take some game, this bread gave 
great additional zest to the repast. 

On the thirteenth day, as they were slowly pad- 
dling against the stream, they saw, far away in the 
north, a great smoke, apparently from Indian fires. 
It was evidently not far from the region where the 
Quinnipissa Indians had so fiercely attacked them, 
but a few days before. Much apprehension was felt 
lest they should again be assailed, The passage 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 25 I 

against the rapid current was necessarily very slow. 
The Indians had large wooden boats, which they 
could fill with warriors, and being above them on 
the river, could completely cut off their retreat. 

La Salle sent one of the canoes forward to recon- 
noitre. As his Indian boatmen were paddling cau- 
tiously along beneath the dense foHage of the banks, 
they caught sight of four women. Under the 
perilous circumstances, it was thought best to cap- 
ture them, if possible, and hold them as hostages for 
the good behavior of the tribe. This was not doing 
evil that good might come, for the measure was 
fully justifiable, in view of the attack which had been 
made upon them, and as the only means of prevent- 
ing the effusion of blood. 

The men landed, and the swift runners caught 
the women and took them back to the fleet. It was 
then learned that the Quinnipissa Indians, a pecu- 
liarly warlike and ferocious race, had a large village 
but a Httle distance farther up the river. This vil- 
lage it was necessary to pass. There could be no 
doubt that the savages would fiercely assail them. 
As they could probably bring many hundred war- 
riors into the conflict, and could make the attack 
not only from their capacious periaguas, but also 
from the shelter of the trees on the bank, the situa- 
tion of the French seemed quite desperate. 



252 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

La Salle, in this emergence, drew his canoes to 
the shore, a little below the village, and on the 
opposite bank. He hoped, by the aid of his captives, 
to open some communication with the foe. But the 
Indians had already learned of his approach. Again 
the hideous clamor of demoniac war was heard, as 
the noise of their rude drums and savage yells fell 
upon the ear. 

It was early in the afternoon of a day of almost 
tropical warmth and serenity, when all the voices of 
nature seemed to invite man to love and help his 
brother. Soon quite a fleet of massive boats was 
seen, descending the river, each boat crowded with 
twenty or thirty warriors, plumed and painted, and 
armed with bows and arrows, javelins, and clubs. 
They were yelling like demons, as if expecting by 
noise to rouse their courage to the highest point. 

La Salle himself, with two or three picked com- 
panions, pushed out in a canoe, and advanced to 
meet them. Though one or two guns were in the 
bottom of the canoe, to be used in case of absolute 
necessity, they appeared entirely unarmed — a single 
canoe advancing to meet a fleet. La Salle stood up 
and waved the calumet, the sacred emblem of peace 
and friendship. The savages, thirsty for blood, paid 
no heed to this appeal. They redoubled their yells, 
and like a band of desperate villains as they were, 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 253 

shot a volley of arrows toward the one canoe with 
its three or four unarmed occupants. With new 
vigor the savages plied their paddles, being now sure 
of the capture of the strangers. 

The moment for prompt and decisive action had 
come. The guns were heavily loaded. One of the 
boats, larger and more richly ornamented than the 
rest, contained evidently the head chief. He was a 
man of herculean frame, dressed in the most gor- 
geous of barbaric attire. As he stood up in his 
boat, giving orders, he presented just the target, 
though at a great distance, to which a sharp-shooter 
might direct unerring aim. La Salle ordered one of 
his marksmen to strike him down. After a moment's 
pause, there was a flash, a slight puff of smoke, a loud 
report, and the invisible bullet pierced the heart of 
the chief. The blood gushed forth in a torrent, and 
the warrior dropped dead in the bottom of the boat. 

The warriors were appalled, terrified. Never 
before had they heard the report of a gun. They 
knew not what had struck down their chief. No mis- 
sile had been seen. None could be found. The 
savages were very superstitious. They thought this 
must be the work of witchcraft ; that they were 
attacked by evil spirits, whose power was invincible. 
They had seen the lightning flash, and the rising, 
vanishing cloud. They had heard the thunder peal. 



254 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Their chief had been struck dead by some resistless 
bolt, at twice the distance to which any arrow could 
be thrown. It was folly to contend against such a 
foe. The next instant every one might be stricken 
down. They were seized with a panic. Instantly, 
heading the bows of their boats up the river, they 
fled with the utmost precipitation. 

La Salle returned to his companions, conscious 
that he had secured a truce only. He had still the 
the village to pass ; and the current was so strong 
that he must pass very slowly. It was probable that 
the Indians would so far recover from their conster- 
nation, that some of the boldest would again assail 
his boats, from behind sheltering rocks and trees. 
The frail canoes might easily be pierced by their mis- 
siles, and the inmates thrown into the water. The 
savages would soon become accustomed to the report 
of the guns. Finding that rocks and trees pro- 
tected them from the invisible bolt, they would all 
be emboldened ; and thus a general and prolonged 
attack, following them up the river, would cause their 
entire destruction. 

The utmost wisdom was still requisite, to rescue 
the party from these perils. La Salle loaded one of 
the women with rich presents of axes, knives, and 
beads, and sent her across the river in one of his 
canoes. By signs he told her to inform her tribe 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 255 

that he wished for friendship with them ; that if they 
would be friendly, and bring him in a supply of corn, 
he would liberate his three other captives, and pay 
liberally for the corn, in articles which would be of 
great value to the Indians. 

The next morning a large number of Indian war- 
riors were seen approaching the encampment, where 
the Frenchmen had thrown up defences which would 
enable them to sell their lives dearly, were the sav- 
ages determined upon their destruction. La Salle, as 
bold as he was humane, advanced alone to meet 
them, presenting the calumet. The Indians assumed a 
friendly attitude, entered into a treaty of peace, and 
invited La Salle, with his party, to visit their village. 
They also brought him a considerable store of corn. 
Though their manner was such as to lead La Salle 
greatly to doubt their sincerity, he accepted their in- 
vitation, first exacting hostages to remain in the 
camp until his return. He took with him Father 
Membre, his invariable companion on such occasions. 
The mild, fearless, heroic missionary writes : 

" We went up to the village where these Indians 
had prepared us a feast in their fashion. They had 
notified their allies and neighbors ; so that when we 
went to enjoy the banquet, in a large square, we saw 
a confused mass of armed savages arrive, one after 
another. We were however welcomed by the chiefs ; 



256 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

but, having ground for suspicion, each kept his gun 
ready, and the Indians, seeing it, durst not attack us." 

Toward evening. La Salle and his companion 
returned to the camp, still apprehensive that the 
Indians meditated treachery. They released the 
three women, whom they made very happy, with 
rich presents. A careful watch was kept through 
the night. Before the dawn of the next morning 
the sentinels reported that they heard a noise, as if 
a multitude of men were stealthily gathering in a 
dense growth of canes, but a short distance from the 
encampment. All were instantly summoned to arms. 

It was a gloomy morning, very dark, with moan- 
ing wind and gathering clouds and falling rain. The 
men had but just taken their stations, behind the 
intrenchments which had been so prudently raised, 
when the shrill war-whoop burst from apparently 
hundreds of savage lips ; and from the impenetrable 
darkness a shower of arrows came whizzing through 
the air. They all fell harmless in and around the 
spot where the men stood, behind their ramparts, 
with muskets loaded and primed. 

Though the savages kept up an incessant yell, 
and threw their arrows almost at random into the 
narrow enclosure, they were so concealed by the 
darkness and the thick cane-brake, that not one was 
to be seen. The French kept perfect silence. Not 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 257 

a loud word was spoken. Not a musket was fired. 
It was very important that every bullet should 
accomplish its mission and lay a warrior dead in his 
blood. The Indians were to be taught that every 
flash and peal was the sure precursor of the death 
or the serious wound of one of their number. 

Soon the day began to dawn. With the increasing 
light the savages were revealed, as they dodged from 
point to point. There was no random firing of the 
guns. Deliberate aim was taken. The savages 
were very cautious in exposing themselves. The 
Frenchmen were perfectly protected from their 
arrows by the rampart of logs. For two hours this 
strange battle raged — twenty Frenchmen against 
hundreds of savages. Ten Indians were shot dead. 
Many others were dreadfully wounded with shat- 
tered bones. It is probable that every bullet hit its 
mark. Not an arrow of the savage had drawn blood. 

As the sun rose, revealing the deadly fire of the 
guns and the utter impotence of the missiles of the 
Indians, the savages were again thrown into a panic, 
and fled precipitately. La Salle, with nearly all his 
force, pursued them up to the village, where, with 
axes, he speedily demolished all their boats, so that 
they could not pursue, as he should continue his 
voyage. His men urged him to burn the village of 
his treacherous foes. But he refused, saying that he 



258 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

would Inflict no farther injury upon them than was 
absolutely necessary in self-defence. 

At the close of this day of gloom, battle, and 
blood, another night came, of darkness and rain. 
Enveloped in the shades of night, the French re-em- 
barked. Silently they passed the village. Not a 
savage " opened his mouth or peeped." The storm 
passed away. And when the sun of another lovely 
morning shone down upon them, the voyagers were 
far beyond the reach of their cruel foes. Father 
Membre returned thanks to God that He had borne 
them, unharmed, through such great peril, and had 
restrained them from the exercise of any unchristian 
revenge. It was the morning of the 19th of April. 

For twelve days they continued breasting the 
current of the stream, as they laboriously paddled 
their way upward. Anxious to return to Quebec as 
soon as possible, with the tidings of their glorious 
achievement, they made no tarry at the many villages 
which were scattered along the banks. They often 
saw assemblages of Indians, who seemed to assume 
a hostile attitude. No attack was, however, made 
upon them. 

In descending the river they had a good supply 
of corn, and stored away quite a quantity in a cacJie. 
They found it, on their return, in good condition, 
and it furnished them with a very opportune supply. 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 259 

They were surprised to see how rapidly the corn in 
the fields matured. Fields were passed on the 29th 
of March, where the tender blades were just sprout- 
ing from the ground. And now, in less than four 
weeks, the corn was fit to roast. They were told 
that, in fifty days from planting, it often ripened. 

A short tarry was made at the friendly village of 
the Taensa Indians, where they were again very 
hospitably entertained. On the 1st of May they 
resumed their slow and laborious voyage, and reached 
the Arkansas Indians about the 15th of the month. 
On the i6th La Salle took two light canoes, propelled 
by sturdy Indian rowers, and pushed on in advance 
of the rest of the party. He gave directions for the 
other canoes to follow as fast as they could. But he 
was taken dangerously sick on the way. 

A birch canoe, in which one is exposed to the 
rays of the noonday sun, to the chill dews of morn- 
ing and evening, to drenching showers and dreary 
days of clouds and rain, presents but few comforts to 
a man in sickness and suffering. He, however, suc- 
ceeded, after a toilsome voyage of about ten days, in 
reaching his old encampment, which he had named 
Prudhomme, near the mouth of the Ohio River. 

Here his malady grew so alarming that he could 
go no farther. His party landed, drew their canoes 
up upon the grass of the prairie, repaired their 



26o THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

camp, so as to make it an effectual protection from 
sun and rain, spread mats upon the ground, and 
made the sick man, who they feared was soon to 
die, as comfortable as possible. 

In such cases a camp was generally built in the 
form of a shed, with the front entirely open. This 
camp was on the eastern side of the river, facing the 
majestic stream and the splendors of the setting sun. 
La Salle had no physician, no medicine, no tender 
nursing, no delicate food to tempt a failing appetite. 
He could only lie patiently upon his mat, and await 
the progress of the disease, whether it were for life 
or for death. The silence and solitude of the river, 
the prairie, and the forest surrounded him. 

Strange must have been his reflections in those 
solemn hours, when he was anticipating the speedy 
approach of death, upon the banks of that wonderful 
stream which his enterprise had caused to be ex- 
plored from its sources to its mouth. As in languor 
and suffering he reclined upon his couch, all the 
beauty and bloom of May, in a delightful cHme, 
were spread around him. The silent flood swept 
by, rushing down a distance of countless leagues in 
the north, until, after a serpentine course of more 
than a thousand miles, through the most wonderful 
scenes of nature, and fringed with the villages of 
innumerable savage tribes, it was lost in the great 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 261 

Mexican gulf. The Indians moved about in silence, 
seldom exchanging a word with e^ch other. They 
brought in game, and were continually cooking and 
eating at the fire, which was kept in a constant blaze 
in front of the camp. 

Two days and nights were thus passed, when, on 
the 2d of June, the remaining canoes of the fleet 
were seen in the distance, approaching the encamp- 
ment. They soon landed ; and the whole party, 
over fifty in number, presented to the eye a new 
scene of bustle and activity. La Salle was sinking, 
in the ever-increasing languor of something like ty- 
phoid fever. It was manifest that many days must 
elapse before he could leave that spot, and it was 
probable, in his own judgment as well as in that of 
all his companions, that he would there sink into that 
last sleep from which there is no earthly waking. 

In these trying hours, his serenity and trust in 
God did not forsake him. He called Lieutenant 
Tonti to the side of his couch, and directed him to 
take several canoes, with the larger part of the com- 
pany, and make his way, as vigorously as possible, 
up the river three hundred miles to the mouth of the 
Illinois River. Then, ascending that, and its upper 
branch, the Kaskaskias, he was to cross by the port- 
age to a tributary of the St. Joseph's, and paddle 
down those streams to Fort Miami, where the St 



262 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Joseph empties into Lake Michigan. Thence by the 
lake he was to make his way to Mackinac. This 
required a journey of over a thousand miles. M. 
Tonti was furnished with documents addressed to. 
Count Frontenac, Governor of Canada, giving a 
detailed account of the explorations and discoveries 
which La Salle had so successfully accomplished. 
Father Membre, with several others of the party, 
remained with the sick man. 

For more than a month the burning fever raged, 
and La Salle was brought to the verge of the grave. 
The fever then left him. For some time it was 
doubtful whether there was sufficient strength re- 
maining for him to recover. Slowly he gained. 
After a detention of forty days, they placed him 
carefully upon mats, in the bottom of a canoe, and, by 
short stages, resumed their voyage. They left Fort 
Prudhomme, and, following the same track which 
Tonti had pursued, did not reach Fort Miami-, at the 
mouth of the St. Joseph's River, until the end of Sep- 
tember. But July and August were months of delight- 
ful weather. The scenery, rich with forest grandeur 
and prairie flowers, was varied and enchanting. Game 
was abundant. Ripe fruit hung on many boughs. 
Hospitable villages were scattered along the way, 
where the general voyagers were invariably received 
with kindness truly fraternal. 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 263 

The motion of the canoe, as the Indians, with 
brawny arms, paddled over the mirrored surface of the 
stream, was soothing and grateful to the languid, yet 
convalescent patient. In the cool of the beautiful 
mornings they could glide along the stream for a few 
leagues, then shelter themselves in som.e shady grove 
from the rays of the noonday sun, and in the cool 
of the serene evenings, resume their voyage till the 
deepening twilight admonished them to seek their 
night's encampment. 

Thus pleasantly journeying. La Salle rapidly 
regained strength ; and when he reached Fort Miami 
he was restored to almost his customary vigor. He 
found the habitation called Fort Miami quite reno- 
vated by Lieutenant Tonti, and a few men left in 
garrison to receive him upon his arrival. Quite a 
cluster of Indian wigwams had also been reared 
there, giving a very animated and cheerful aspect to 
the spot. Father Membre, in describing the scenery 
through which they passed, in this ascent of the Mis- 
sissippi and the Illinois, writes : 

" The banks of the Mississippi, for twenty or 
thirty leagues from its mouth, are covered with a 
dense growth of canes, except in fifteen or twenty 
places where there are very pretty hills and spacious, 
cenvenient landing-places. Behind this fringe of 
marshy land you see the finest country in the world. 



264 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Our hunters, both French and Indian, were deh'ghted 
with it. For an extent of six hundred miles in 
length, and as much in breadth, we were told there 
are vast fields of excellent land, diversified with 
pleasing hills, lofty woods, groves through which you 
migrht ride on horseback, so clear and unobstructed 
are the paths. 

''These little forests also line the rivers which 
intersect the country in various places, and which 
abound in fish. The crocodiles are dangerous here ; 
so much so, that, in some places, no one would ven- 
ture to expose himself, or even to put his hand out 
of his canoe. The Indians told us that these animals 
often dragged in their people, where they could any- 
where get hold of them. 

"The fields are full of all kinds of game, wild 
cattle, does, deer, stags, bears, turkeys, partridges, 
parrots, quails, woodcock, wild pigeons, and ring- 
doves. There are also beaver, otters, and martens. 
The cattle of this country surpass ours in size. 
Their head is monstrous, and their look is frightful, 
on account of the long, black hair with which it is 
surrounded, and which hangs below the chin. The 
hair is fine, and scarce inferior to wool. The Indians 
wear their skins, which they dress very neatly. They 
assured us that, inland, toward the west, there are 
animals on which men ride, and which carry very 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 265 

heavy loads. They described them as horses, and 
showed two feet, which were actually hoofs of horses. 

" We observed wood fit for every use. There 
were the most beautiful cedars in the world. There 
was one kind of tree which shed an abundance of 
gum, as pleasant to burn as the best French pastilles. 
We also saw fine hemlocks, and other large trees with 
white bark. The cotton-wood trees were very large. 
Of these, the Indians dug out canoes forty or fifty 
feet long. Sometimes there were fleets of a hundred 
and fifty at their villages. We saw every kind of 
tree fit for ship-building. There is also plenty of 
hemp for cordage, and tar could be made in abun- 
dance. 

*' Prairies are seen everywhere. Sometimes they 
are fifty or sixty miles in length on the river front, 
and many leagues in depth. They are very rich 
and fertile, without a stone or a tree to obstruct 
the plough. These prairies are capable of sustaining 
an immense population. Beans grow wild, and the 
stalks last several years, bearing fruit. The bean 
vines are thicker than a man's arm, and run to the 
top of the highest trees. Peach trees are abundant, 
and bear fruit equal to the best which can be found 
in France. They are often so loaded, in the gar- 
dens of the Indians, that they have to prop up the 
branches. There are whole forests of mulberries, 



266 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

whose ripened fruit we began to eat in the month of 
May, Plums are found in great variety, many of 
which are not known in Europe. Grapevines and 
pomegranates are common. Three or four crops of 
corn can be raised in a year. 

*' The Indian tribes, though savage, seem generally 
amiable, affable, and obliging. They have no true 
idea of religion by a regular worship. Tribes sepa- 
rated by not more than thirty miles, speak a different 
language. And yet they manage to understand each 
other. There is always some interpreter of one na- 
tion residing in another, when they are allies, and 
who acts as a kind of consul. They are very differ- 
ent from our Canada Indians, in their houses, dress, 
manners, inclinations, and customs. They have 
large public squares, games, assemblies. They seem 
mirthful and full of vivacity. Their chiefs have abso- 
lute authority. No one would dare to pass between 
the chief and the cane torch which burns in his 
cabin, and is carried before him when he goes out. 
All make a circuit around it with some ceremony. 

The chiefs have servants and officers, who follow 
them and wait upon them everywhere. The chiefs 
distribute their favors at will. In a word, we gener- 
ally found them to be men. We saw none who 
knew the use of fire-arms. They had no iron or steel 
articles, using only stone knives and hatchets." 



THE RETURN VOYAGE. 26/ 

This wonderful expedition was accomplished 
without the loss of a single life, on the part of the 
voyagers. Not one was even wounded. Father 
Membre attributes this, next to God's goodness, to 
the tact and wisdom manifested by La Salle. As to 
the missionary fruits of this enterprise, the devoted 
ecclesiastic writes : 

" I will say nothing here of conversions. For- 
merly the apostles had but to enter a countr>% when 
on the first publication of the Gospel, conversions 
were seen. I am but a miserable sinner, infinitely 
destitute of the merits of the apostles. We must 
acknowledge that these miraculous ways of grace are 
not attached to the exercise of our ministry. God 
employs an ordinary and common way, following 
which, I contented myself with announcing, as well 
as I could, the principal truths of Christianity to the 
nations I met. The Illinois language served me for 
about three hundred miles down the river. I made 
the rest understand by gestures, and some term in 
their dialect which I insensibly picked up. But I 
cannot say that my feeble efforts produced certain 
fruits. With regard to these people, perhaps some 
one, by a secret effect of grace, has profited. God 
only knows. All we have done has been to see the 
state of these tribes, and to open the way to the 
Gospel, and to missionaries." 



CHAPTER XIII. 
Sea Voyage to the Gulf of Mexico, 

La Salle returns to Quebec— Sails for France.— Assailed by Cal- 
umny.— The Naval Expedition.— Its Object.— Its Equipment.— 
Disagreement between La Salle and Beaujeu. — The Voyage to 
the West Indies. — Adventures in the Caribbean Sea. — They 
Enter the Gulf.— Storms and Calms.— The Voyagers Lost. 

Father Membre's journal abruptly terminates 
with the arrival of the party at Fort Miami. We 
have no detailed account of the adventures of La 
Salle during the next eight or ten months. We 
learn incidentally, that Father Membre was sent to 
Quebec, and thence to France, to convey to the 
court the tidings of the great discovery, and of the 
annexation of truly imperial realms to the kingdom 
of Louis XIV. On the 8th of October, Father 
Membre left Fort Miami for Quebec. Thence he 
sailed with Governor Frontenac for France, where he 
arrived before the close of the year. La Salle re- 
mained with the Miami and the lUinois Indians, prob- 
ably retrieving his fallen fortunes by extensive traffic 
in furs, of which he had, at the time, a monoply con- 
ferred upon him by the king. 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 269 

At length, in the autumn of 1683, he also re- 
turned to Quebec, and sailed for France, landing at 
Rochelle on the 13th of December. No man can, in 
this world, accomplish great results without exposing 
himself to mahgnant attacks. Bitter enemies assailed 
La Salle with venomous hostility. Their hostility was 
excited by the monopoly of the fur trade, which he 
enjoyed over all the vast regions he had explored. 
They despatched atrocious charges against him to 
the government, denouncing him as a robber, and 
denying the discoveries which he professed to have 
made. But Governor Frontenac and Father Mem- 
bre were both at Versailles, and La Salle's cause was 
not seriously injured by these malignant charges. 

It was the chevalier's object, in this his return to 
France, to organize a colony to form a settlement in 
the earthly paradise which he thought that he had 
discovered on the banks of the Mississippi. He 
designed to arrange an expedition of such magnitude 
as would enable him to establish several permanent 
settlements, and also to explore more extensively 
the newly discovered country. 

The king and the court entered eagerly into 
plans, which promised to redound greatly to the 
glory of France. The reputation of La Salle, the 
grandeur of the undertaking, and a natural curiosity 
to visit scenes so full of novelty and wonders, 



2/0 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

induced several gentlemen of distinction and intelli 
gence to embark in the enterprise. Among them 
was a younger brother of La Salle, with an ecclesias- 
tic called M. Cavalier, and also a nephew. The king 
conferred a new commission upon La Salle, invest- 
ing him with the powers almost of viceroyalty. 
The whole valley of the Mississippi, from Lake 
Michigan to the Gulf, was called Louisiana, in honor 
of the then reigning king. The sway of La Salle 
embraced the whole of this almost hmitless region. 
Seven missionaries accompanied the expedition, 
under the general supervision of Father Membre, 
whose virtues and eminent qualification for the 
station all alike recognized. 

Four vessels were equipped for the expedition. 
The first, called the Joli, was a man-of-war armed 
with thirty-six guns. The second was a frigate 
called the Belle. The king made a present of this 
vessel to La Salle. He had furnished it with a very 
complete outfit, and with an armament of six guns. 
The third, called the Aimable, was a merchant-ship 
of about three hundred tons. It was heavily laden 
with all those implements and goods which it was 
deemed would be most useful in the establishment 
of a colony. The fourth was a light, swift-sailing 
yacht, called - the St. Francis, of but thirty tons. 
This vessel was also laden with munitions, supplies, 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 2; I 

and goods for traffic with the Indians. The whole 
number who embarked, including one hundred sol- 
diers and seven or eight families of women and chil- 
dren, amounted to two hundred and eighty. Care 
was taken to select good mechanics for the various 
trades. But, unfortunately, soldiers and seamen were 
engaged without apparently any reference to char- 
acter. Thus some of the worst vagabonds of earth 
were gathered from the seaports of France to colon- 
ize the New World. 

Nothing with the quarrelsome race of man ever 
goes smoothly for any considerable length of time. 
Captain Beaujeu, a Norman seaman of great valor 
and extensive experience, was commander of the 
man-of-war, and, as such, was intrusted with the gen- 
eral direction and supervision of the vessels. He 
was a proud man, accustomed to authority, and he 
regarded La Salle and his party as passengers, whom 
he was conveying to their destination, and who, 
while on board his vessels, were to be subservient 
to his will. 

On the other hand. La Salle regarded Beaujeu as 
one of his officers, who was to be implicitly obedient 
to his directions. The idea never occurred to him 
that Beaujeu was to be taken into partnership, or 
consulted even, in regard to any of his measures, any 
farther than La Salle might deem it expedient to 



2/2 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

consult him or any other of his subordinates. With 
views so different, a speedy quarrel was inevitable. 
Beaujeu is represented as a man full of conceit, of 
narrow mind, and very irritable. La Salle was 
reserved, self-reliant, keeping his own counsel. 
Scarcely had the two men met, before they found 
themselves in antagonism. Before the vessels sailed, 
Beaujeu wrote to the king's minister as follows : 

" You have ordered me, sir, to afford this enter- 
prise every facility in my power. I shall do so. But 
permit me to say that I take great credit to myself 
for consenting to" obey the orders of La Salle. I 
believe him to be a worthy man, but he has never 
served in war except against savages, and has no 
military rank. I, on the contrary, have been thirteen 
years captain of a vessel, and have served thirty 
years by sea and land. 

'' He tells me that, in case of his death, the com- 
mand devolves on Chevalier de Tonti. This is 
certainly hard for me to bear. Though I am not 
now acquainted with the country, I must be a dull 
scholar not to obtain an adequate knowledge of it in 
a month after my arrival* I beg you therefore to 
give me a share in the command, so that no military 
operation may be undertaken without consulting me. 
Should we be attacked by the Spaniards, I am per- 
suaded that men who have never commanded in 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 2/3 

war could not resist them, as another could do, who 
had been taught by experience." 

Three weeks later, he wrote : " The JoH is prepared 
for sea. I hope to sail down the river to-morrow. 
It remains for M. La Salle to sail when he is ready. 
He has said nothing to me of his designs. As he is 
constantly changing his plans, I know not whether 
the provisions will be enough for the enterprise. 
He is so jealous, and so fearful that some one may 
penetrate his secrets, that I have refrained from 
asking him any questions. 

" I have already informed you how disagreeable 
it was for me to be under the orders of M. de la Salle, 
who has no military rank. I shall however obey 
him, without repugnance, if you send me orders to 
that effect. But I beg that they may be such that 
he can impute no fault to me should he fail to 
execute what he has undertaken. I am induced to 
say this because he has intimated that it was my 
design to thwart his plans. I wish you would inform 
me what is to be done in regard to the soldiers. 
He pretends that, on our arrival, they are to be put 
under his charge. My instructions do not authorize 
this pretence. I am to afford all the aid in my 
power, without endangering the safety of the 
vessels." 

The ministry paid no attention to these com- 

12* 



274 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

plaints. They probably decided to leave the com- 
manders to settle such questions among themselves. 
The four vessels sailed from Rochelle on the 24th of 
July, 1684. They had advanced but about one 
hundred and fifty miles when a violent tempest 
overtook them. The Joli lost her bowsprit. Con- 
sequently the little squadron returned to Rochefort. 
Having repaired damages, the fleet again set sail, on 
the 1st of August. 

La Salle and his suite, if we may so speak of his 
chosen companions, were on board the Joli, which 
Captain Beaujeu commanded. On the 8th of 
August the fleet passed Cape Finisterre, the extreme 
northwestern point of Spain. On the 20th they 
reached the island of Madeira. Captain Beaujeu 
wished to land here, to take in a fresh supply of 
provisions. La Salle said, emphatically, '* No ! " 

" We have," he said, *' an ample supply of both 
food and water. To anchor there will cause us a 
delay of six or eight days. It will reveal our 
enterprise to the Spaniards. It was not the inten- 
tion of the king that we should touch at that point." 
Beaujeu was compelled to submit. But he was 
very angry and sullen. His sub-officers and sailors 
were also angry. Time was nothing to them, and 
they were anticipating grand carousals in port. 
Sharp words were interchanged, and the quarrel 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 2/5 

became more bitter. On the 24th they reached the 
influence of the trade winds, which blow continually 
from east to west. On the 6th of September they 
reached the Tropic of Cancer. In crossing this line 
a custom had long prevailed of performing a rite 
called baptism upon aU on shipboard who then 
crossed for the first time. The indignity was in- 
flicted upon all alike, without any regard to charac- 
ter or rank. But, by giving the sailors a rich treat, 
one could secure for himself a little more moderation 
. in the performance of the revolting ceremony. 

A very stout sailor, generally the most gigantic 
man of the crew, grotesquely dressed to represent 
Father Neptune, would come up over the bows of 
the vessel and seize his victim. First he would cate- 
chize him very closely respecting his object in cross- 
ing the line ; then he would exact an oath that he 
would never permit any one, when he was present, 
to enter the tropics without subjecting him to bap- 
tism. Then he would dash several bucketsful of 
salt water upon his head. This was the mildest form 
of performing the rite. If the subject for the bap- 
tism were, for any reason, obnoxious to the sailors, 
his treatment was much more severe. He was 
greased and tarred and shampooed, and shaved with 
an iron hoop, and treated, in all respects, very 
roughly. 



276 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

On board this fleet, the passengers, including 
one hundred well-armed soldiers, greatly exceeded 
the number of sailors. La Salle, learning that the 
sailors were making great preparations for this bap- 
tism, resolved that he would not submit to such an 
indignity, and that his companions and followers 
should not be subjected to it. He therefore issued 
orders prohibiting the ceremony. This exasperated 
the sailors. Beaujeu openly advocated their cause. 
The seamen were compelled to submit. The antag- 
onism between the two commanders was embit- 
tered. 

On the nth of September they reached the 
latitude of St. Domingo. A dead calm soon ensued. 
The ships floated as upon a sea of glass. One of the 
soldiers died. After imposing religious rites, his 
body was consigned to its ocean sepulchre. The 
calm was succeeded by a storm. In the darkness 
and tumult of this tropical tempest the vessels lost 
sight of each other. Gradually the storm abated. 
The change of climate had caused much sickness. 
Fifty were in hospital on board the Joli, including 
La Salle and both of the surgeons. On the 20th, 
the grand mountains of St. Helena hove in sight, 
and the majestic bay of Samana opened before 
them. 

It still required a sail of five days before they 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 2;/ 

reached the Port de Paix, on the northwestern 
extremity of the island. Here there was a very fine 
harbor, and here the French governor of the neigh- 
boring isle of Tortue had his residence. La Salle 
had letters to this governor, M. de Cussy, directing 
him to supply the fleet with everything it might need, 
and which it was in his power to give. For some 
unexplained reason Beaujeu silently declined obey- 
ing these orders. In the night he sailed directly by 
the Port de Paix, and doubling Cape St. Nicholas, a 
hundred miles distant at the western extremity of 
the island, circled around to the southern shore, 
and on the 27th cast anchor in a small harbor called 
the Petit Guave. The voyage thus far, from Ro- 
chelle, had occupied fifty-eight days. 

This unaccountable change of place for the ren- 
dezvous of the scattered vessels caused much embar- 
rassment. We do not know what were the remon- 
strances of La Salle, or what was the defence of 
Beaujeu. The Joli had scarcely cast anchor in this 
remote and silent bay, when a large sail-boat, con- 
taining twenty men, who had caught sight of the 
ship, entered the port, and informed La Salle that 
not only Governor Cussy was at the Port de Paix, 
but also the Marquis of Laurent, who was governor- 
general of all the French West India Islands. This 
greatly increased the chagrin of La Salle, for an 



2/8 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

interview with them would have greatly facilitated 
his operations. 

Religious ceremonies were, in a remarkable degree, 
blended with all these explorations. The next day 
after the Joli cast anchor, all the ship's company was 
assembled for divine worship, to return thanks to God 
for their prosperous voyage. La Salle, being conva- 
lescent, went ashore with a boat's crew to obtain 
some refreshments, and to send intelligence across 
the island, to the governor, of his arrival at Port de 
Paix. In this message he expressed intense regret 
that he had not been able to stop at Port de Paix, 
and entreated the governor, if it were in his power, 
to visit his ship at Guave. 

In consequence of the number of sick on board, 
they were all landed, shelters were reared for them, 
and they were refreshed with fresh vegetables, fruit, 
and exercise in the open air. La Salle was still very 
feeble. A slow fever was consuming him. The con- 
duct of Beaujeu caused him the greatest embarrass- 
ment. We should infer from the narrative of M. 
Joutel that there was no European settlement at the 
spot, and but very few native inhabitants, though all 
the natives were friendly. 

In a few days two of the vessels which had been 
separated from the Joli by the storm, entered the 
bay, having probably learned from the natives, as 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 2/9 

they coasted along the shore, where the ship was. 
The whole of the eastern portion of the island was 
then held by Spain. As the three vessels were sail- 
ing along, two large boats, filled with armed Spaniards, 
pushed out from the shore and seized the smallest of 
the vessels — the St. Francis — and carried it off as a 
prize, with all its crew. This was a very heavy loss, 
as it deprived the expedition of supplies of which it 
stood greatly in need. The chagrin of La Salle was 
increased by the reflection that had Beaujeu obeyed 
orders and entered Port de Paix, the fleet would 
have rendezvoused there in perfect safety. The 
governor very loudly expressed his indignation, in 
view of the conduct of Captain Beaujeu. 

The state of mind of the captain may be inferred 
from the following extracts from a letter to the 
French minister, which he wrote at that place : 

" Were it not the sickness of Chevalier La Salle, 
I should have no occasion to write to you, as I am 
charged only with the navigation and he with the 
secret. We have arrived here almost all sick. La 
Salle has been attacked by a violent fever, which 
affects not more his body than his mind. His brother 
requested me to take charge of his affairs. I excused 
myself because I know that when restored to health 
he would not approve of what I had done. 

" It is said that the Spaniards have, in these seas, 



280 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

six men-of-war, each carrying sixty guns. It is true 
that if the ChevaHer de la Salle should not recover, 
I shall pursue different measures from those which 
he has adopted, which I do not approve. I cannot 
comprehend how a man should dream of setthng a 
country surrounded by Spainards and Indians, with 
a company of workmen and women, without soldiers. 

" If you will permit me to express my opinion, 
the ChevaHer de la Salle should have contented 
himself with the discovery of his river, without at- 
tempting to conduct three vessels and troops across 
the ocean through seas utterly unknown to him. He 
is a man of great learning, who has read much, and 
has some knowledge of navigation. But there is a 
great difference between theory and practice. The 
ability to transport canoes through lakes and rivers 
is very different from that which is required to con- 
duct vessels and troops over remote seas." 

After a short delay in this lonely harbor, the 
fleet, now consisting of but three vessels, again 
spread its sails. It was agreed to direct their course 
to Cape St. Antoine, about nine hundred miles dis- 
tant, at the extreme western point of the island of 
Cuba. Should the vessels be separated by a storm, 
they were to rendevous at that place. 

As the Aimable, a heavily laden merchantman, 
was the slowest sailer, it was decided that she should 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 28 1 

take the lead, the other two following. La Salle, 
with his brother, Father Membre, and some others, 
transferred their quarters from the Joli to the 
Aimable. This movement was also probably influ- 
enced by La Salle's desire to escape from the 
uncongenial companionship of Captain Beaujeu. It 
was on the 25th of November, 1684, that the voyage 
was resumed. 

Two days' sail brought the fleet within sight of 
the magnificent island of Cuba. They ran along its 
southern shore, generally in sight of its towering 
mountains and its luxuriant foliage, but having the 
enchanting scenery occasionally veiled from their 
view by dense fogs. On the 1st of December they 
caught sight, far away in the south, of the grand 
island of Cayman. On the 4th of December, they 
cast anchor in a sheltered bay of the beautiful Island 
of Pines, but a few miles south of the Cuban coast. 

La Salle, with his companions, took a boat and 
went on shore. Several of the ship's crew rowed the 
boat. As they approached the sandy beach, they 
saw an immense crocodile, apparently asleep, enjoy- 
ing the blaze of a tropical sun. The boatmen drew 
near as noiselessly as they could. La Salle took 
deliberate- aim and fired. Fortunately the bullet 
struck a vulnerable point. The monster, after a few 
convulsive struggles, was dead. The sailors, eager 



282 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

for a taste of fresh meat, kindled a fire and roasted 
the flesh, which they found tender and palatable. 
There were no inhabitants at that point. The party 
separated in small groups, and waiidered in all 
directions, lured by the beauty of the region, and 
feasting upon the rich tropical fruits which grew in 
spontaneous abundance. 

When about to re-embark, two of the sailors were 
missing. Several guns were fired as signals for the 
lost men, but in vain. The boat returned to the 
ship. The next morning, at sunrise, a boat's crew of 
thirty men was sent to search for the wanderers. At 
length they were found, thoroughly frightened, hav- 
ing passed a very uncomfortable night. The beauty 
of this island charmed all who beheld it. They were 
lavish in their praises of its luxuriance, its fruits, its 
game, and its birds of briUiant plumage. 

Again the fleet weighed anchor and, on the 
nth, reached Cape Corrientes, one of the most 
prominent southwestern points of Cuba. Here 
again they ran into a solitary bay, which, in cluster- 
ing fruits and vine-draped bowers, and birds on the 
wing, presented an aspect of almost Eden loveliness. 
They tarried but a day. Then, taking advantage of 
a breeze fresh and fair, they passed from the Carib- 
bean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico. They had pro- 
ceeded but about fifteen miles when the wind 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 283 

changed, and became adverse. For two days, by 
beating, they worked their way slowly against it. 

Captain Beaujeu took a boat, and came on board 
the Aimable, and insisted that the vessels should 
put back to Cape Antoine, and ride at anchor there 
until the wind should prove favorable. La Salle 
could not consider this measure judicious. But, 
weary of contention and anxious to agree with 
Beaujeu whenever he could, he reluctantly gave his 
consent. They ran back to the land, cast anchor, 
remained two days in a dead calm, when suddenly a 
tropical tempest arose, which was almost a tornado. 
The Belle dragged her anchor, and was driven vio- 
lently against the Aimable, carrying away her bow- 
sprit, and greatly injuring much of her rigging. The 
Aimable would have been sunk had she not cut her 
cable and escaped. The anchor was lost. 

On the 1 8th, the wind became fair. Having 
repaired damages as far as was in their power, the 
fleet again set sail. It was ten o'clock in the morn- 
ing of a very delightful day. Directing their course 
northwesterly, they sailed, with a gentle breeze and 
occasional calms, nine days* without seeing land or 
encountering any event of importance. On the 28th, 
land was discovered. It was but a few miles dis- 
tant. It was evidently the continent of North 
America, an.d consisted of a long reach of low land, 



284 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

fringed with a dense forest, and elevated but a few- 
feet above the level of the Gulf. 

A shallop was speedily equipped, and La Salle, 
with a few of his chosen companions and a boat's 
crew, all well-armed, repaired to the shore to recon- 
noitre. Another boat, also similiarly equipped, was 
ordered soon to follow. The Belle was directed to 
keep up careful soundings, and to range along the 
coast as near the shore as was safe. 

La Salle's party soon reached the shore, and 
landed upon a very beautiful meadow. But they 
had no time for exploration. The freshening wind 
rolled in such a surf that there was great danger that 
their boat would be swamped. They were compelled 
hastily to re-embark, and return to the ship. Slowly 
the vessels coasted along the uninviting shore, look- 
ing in vain for any inlet or any river's mouth. 

On the 2d of January, 1685, a dense fog settled 
down over the sea and the land, so enveloping the 
ships that no object could be seen at the distance of 
a few yards. 

La Salle ordered cannon occasionally to be fired on 
board the Aimable, to let the other two vessels know 
where he was. As there was scarcely a breath of wind, 
there was no necessity that the fleet should be scat- 
tered. When the fog the next day was dissipated, 
the Joli was not in sight. Toward evening, however, 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 285 

the ship was again seen. In a few days they discov- 
ered an inlet, which La Salle carefully examined from 
the mast-head. He judged it to be the Bay of Ap- 
palachicola, then called Espiritu Santo, on the Florida 
coast. They therefore pressed on westerly, hoping 
soon to reach the Mississippi. 

To make it sure that he should not pass the 
mouth of the river, which, flowing through very low 
and marshy soil, was designated by no landmark. La 
Salle desired to send a party of thirty men ashore to 
follow along the coast. But the wind rose, and the 
surf dashed so violently upon the muddy banks, that 
a landing could not be effected. Slowly the fleet 
moved along until the 13th, when it was found neces- 
sary to land to take in water. A shaUop was sent 
ashore, with five or six seamen, well-armed. There 
was no inlet, and no creek to afford any protection, 
and the surf still rolled in heavily. 

Though the dense forest spread its gloom far and 
wide around, there opened before them a small mead- 
ow of but a few acres, green, treeless and smooth 
as a floor. The boat was directed tpward that spot. 
When within a gun-shot of the land, a troop of about 
a dozen savages, tall, stalwart men, entirely naked, 
emerged from the forest, and came down to the 
water's edge. The surf was so high that there was 
much danger that the boat would be swamped 



286 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

in an attempt to land. The seamen therefore cast 
anchor, to consider what was to be done. 

When the savages saw that they were at a stand- 
still, they made friendly signs, inviting the strangers 
to land. They waded out into the surf and beck- 
oned to them. Apparently the boat could not pass 
safely through the surf. There was a large amount 
of drift-wood hning the shore. Several of the sav- 
ages selected a large smooth log. This they pushed 
through the surf. Ranging themselves on each side, 
they clung to the log with one arm, while, with the 
other, they paddled. Without any hesitancy, un- 
armed and helpless, they clambered into the boat. 

When five were in, the seamen motioned to the 
others to go to another boat which was then ap- 
proaching, and which conveyed La Salle. The sav- 
ages seemed not to entertain the slightest suspicion 
of danger. La Salle was very glad to receive them. 
He hoped that they could give him some information 
respecting the river he sought. But all his efforts 
were in vain. Though he spoke several Indian lan- 
guages, he could not make them understand him. 
They were all taken on board the vessel. With much 
curiosity they examined its wonders. They were 
feasted, and seemed quite at home in smoking the 
pipe of fragrant tobacco. The sheep, the swine, and 
the poultry, they had evidently never seen before. 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 287 

But when they were shown the skin of a cow, which 
had recently been killed, they seemed much delighted, 
and indicated that they had seen such animals before, 
doubtless referring to the buffaloes. 

Having received many presents, a boat was sent 
to carry them as near the shore as it was safe to go. 
The savages bound their presents upon their heads, 
and letting themselves gently down into the water, 
swam to the land. Marvellous must have been the 
stories which they narrated that night, in their wig- 
wams, to admiring crowds. Quite a large group, of 
Indians was seen gathered upon the shore to greet 
them, as they came back. 

La Salle had found it impossible to understand 
their signs. But his apprehensions were somewhat 
excited by the thought that they might have endeav- 
ored to indicate to him that he had already passed 
the mouth of the Mississippi. 

That evening the wind rose fresh and fair. Rais- 
ing their anchors, and keeping near the shore, with 
frequent soundings, they pressed on toward the 
southwest. The next day came a dead calm. Each 
vessel floated on the glassy sea, " like a painted ship 
on a painted ocean." Thus they moved along, day 
after day, encountering calms, when not a ripple was 
to be seen on the mirrovved expanse, and fresh 
breezes, which tossed the ocean in billowy foam, 



288 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

and storms which threatened to tear the masts from 
the hulls. 

On the 14th of January they attempted again to 
effect a landing in the boats. But the surf pre- 
vented. They saw, however, upon a beautiful 
prairie, extending with its waving grass and gor- 
geous flowers as far as the eye could reach, vast 
herds of wild horses and buffaloes. All on board the 
vessels were greatly excited by this spectacle. They 
were eager to land, that they might enjoy the pleas- 
ure of an encampment and the excitement of hunt- 
ing and the chase. 

The land was now found trending more and more 
to the south. They had reached a latitude consid- 
erably below that of the mouth of the Mississippi, as 
ascertained by La Salle, upon his first visit. The 
whole aspect of the country seemed changed. There 
were immense treeless prairies continually opening 
before them, crowded with game, and especially 
with immense herds of horses and buffaloes. 

At length they came to apparently the mouth of 
a small river. A boat was sent on shore, with orders 
to kindle a fire, as a signal, should they find a good 
place for landing. La Salle stood upon the deck of 
the Aimable, eagerly watching. Soon he saw the 
smoke curling up through the clear air of the prairie. 
Just as La Salle was entering his boat for the shore, 



SEA VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. 289 

the wind freshened and tumbled in such billows from 
the open sea that the boat, which had already landed, 
was compelled precipitately to return. The next 
morning the wind abated La Salle felt himself lost. 
He resolved to land, with a strong party, and make a 
thorough exploration of the region, that he might, 
by observation or by communication with such inhab- 
itants as he might discover, find out where he was. 
He had many apprehensions that he had passed the 
mouth of the Mississippi, and that he was far in the 
west, skirting the coast of Mexico. 
13 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Lost in the Wilderness. 

Treachery of Beaujeu. — Accumulating Troubles. — Anxieties of La 
Salle. — March on the Land. — The Encampment. — Wreck of the 
Aimable. — Misadventure with the Indians. — Commencement of 
Hostilities. — Desertion of Beaujeu with the Joli. — The Encamp- 
ment. — The Indians Solicit Friendship. — The Cruel Repulse. — 
Sickness and Sorrow. — Exploring Expeditions. — The Mississippi 
sought for in vain. 

The altercation between La Salle and Beaujeu 
still continued. The chevalier feared that the cap- 
tain designed to abandon him and return to France. 
Parties were formed, and the dispute on board the 
vessels was bitter. La Salle was convinced that he 
had passed the Mississippi. Others argued that 
they had not reached it. In fact they were beyond 
Matagorda Bay, in the southwestern part of Texas, 
and were within a hundred miles of the Rio Grande. 
A dense fog prevented the landing of the boat's 
crew. La Salle insisting upon a return, the vessels 
coasted slowly along, a distance of about thirty 
miles, till they came to an inlet, which the fog had 
prevented them from seeing before, and which 
proved to be Matagorda Bay. 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 29I 

The expedition was now in serious trouble. 
Their provisions were nearly exhausted. They had 
thus far seen no settlement, on the American coast, 
from which they could obtain supplies. A large 
party was landed on the western entrance of the bay. 
They threw up a camp, and while some explored 
the prairie with their guns, others followed up the 
stream with their fishing rods. An ample supply of 
game, of great variety, was taken, and also an abun- 
dance of fish. All who could be spared from the 
ships hastened to the shore. The weather was 
delightful ; the scenery enchanting ; and the whole 
ship's company, after so long an imprisonment in 
the crowded vessels, revelled in feasting and joy. 

" Uneasy lies the head which wears a crown." 
La Salle, feeling keenly his responsibility for the 
success of the expedition, was heavily oppressed by 
care. One of the boats was sent up the bay, seven 
or eight miles, in search of a river or brook ; but 
their search was in vain. A few springs of tolerably 
good water were found, from which they replenished 
their empty barrels. Ducks and other water-fowl 
were met in great abundance. 

The vessels were all anchored in the bay, near the 
shore, and for several days, in this sunny region, 
beneath cloudless skies, the voyagers generally 
enjoyed all the pleasures of the most delightful pic- 



292 .THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

nic party. La Salle saw increasing evidence that 
Beaujeu was intending to desert him. He was anx- 
ious to lay in supplies for a long voyage. La Salle 
wished to delay only to obtain provisions for fifteen 
days. He was satisfied that it would not take longer 
than that to return to the point where he now 
believed the mouth of the Mississippi to be. 

In this emergence he decided to have the vessels 
coast along near the shore, while he sent a chosen 
party of one hundred and thirty men, to march 
along upon the land. The adventurous band com- 
menced its journey in a fog so dense that those in 
the rear could not see those in front. M. Joutel, the 
historian of the expedition from the time it sailed 
from France until its close, led this party. 

The march was commenced on the 5th of Feb- 
ruary. Each man carried his pack upon his own 
shoulders. They kept along as near as possible to 
the sea. The first night they encamped on a slight 
eminence, where a large fire was built to signalize 
to the vessels their position. For a week they thus 
journeyed along, through marsh and prairie and for- 
est, building each night their signal fires. During 
all this time they caught no sight of their ves- 
sels. On the 13th they came to the banks of a 
wide creek or bayou, which they had no means of 
crossing. 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 293 

The carpenters were immediately set to work in 
building a boat. The next day, while thus employed, 
the Joli and the Belle hove in sight. The short twi- 
light of the tropics was then passing into night. A 
signal-fire was built, and seen by those on the ships. 
The next morning, the slow-sailing Aimable, which 
bore La Salle and his companions, appeared. La 
Salle landed and visited the encampment. Having 
sounded the creek, he decided to bring the three ves- 
sels in, and to send a boat to explore inland, hoping 
that the creek might prove to be the mouth of some 
river. The channel was carefully staked out for 
the entrance of the vessels, safe anchorage chosen, 
and orders were issued for the three to enter at the 
next high tide. La Salle would give the signal from 
the shore, when they were to move. 

Captain Beaujeu sent back the insolent answer, 
*' I can manage my own vessel without any instruc- 
tions from Monsieur La Salle." 

As this message arrived, a party of the ship's com- 
pany, who had been at some distance from the camp, 
came running in, much alarmed, saying that quite an 
army of savages was approaching. La Salle in- 
stantly called all his force to arms, that he might be 
prepared for any emergence. Though earnestly 
desirous of peace, he yet deemed it important to 
show a bold front. In imposing military array, with 



294 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

muskets loaded, and the beating of drums, he led his 
band of about one hundred and fifty men, to meet 
the Indians. 

Both parties halted and faced each other, neither 
knowing whether the other wished for peace or war. 
La Salle directed ten of his men to lay down their 
arms, and advance toward the Indians, making 
friendly signs, and endeavoring to invite an unarmed 
party to meet them. The whole body at once threw 
down their arms, consisting of bows and javelins, and 
ran forward joyously, caressing the Europeans, 
according to their custom, by rubbing their hands 
first over their own breasts and arms, and then over 
the breasts and arms of their newly found friends. 

Six or seven accompanied a party of the French 
back to their encampment. La Salle, with the rest, 
accepted an invitation to visit the Indian village, 
which they represented as distant about five miles. 
Just as they were starting, La Salle turned his eyes 
toward the bay, when he saw, much to his conster- 
nation, that their store-ship the Aimable, which was 
left under the care of Captain Beaujeu, instead of 
following the channel marked out by the stakes, was 
paying no regard to them. He was greatly alarmed ; 
but there was nothing which he could do to repel 
the danger. 

He therefore, though in great perturbation, fol- 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 295 

lowed the savages to their village. It consisted of 
about fifty wigwams, erected upon an eminence but 
slightly elevated above the level prairie. The huts 
were built of mats or of the tanned skins of the buf- 
falo. Just as they were entering the village, a cannon 
was fired from one of the ships. The savages were 
greatly terrified, and simultaneously threw themselves 
upon the ground, burying their faces in the grass. 
But La Salle reassured them, stating that it was 
merely a signal to him that one of his ships had 
come to anchor. 

Though La Salle was very vigilant to guard 
against any treachery, still the hospitality manifested 
by the Indians seemed sincere and cordial. The In- 
dians feasted them abundantly with fresh buffalo 
steaks, and jerked meat consisting of thin slices of 
flesh dried in the sun and smoked. Their village 
was near the creek, and La Salle counted forty large 
boats, made of logs hollowed out, such as he had seen 
on the Mississippi. 

Upon returning to the camp, La Salle found' 
his worst fears realized. The Aimable was driven 
aground, and under circumstances which rendered it 
almost certain that it had been done through the 
treachery of Captain Beaujeu. La Salle had marked 
out the channel by stakes, had sent the vessel a 
pilot, whom Beaujeu had refused to receive, and had 



296 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

stationed a man at the mast-head, who had given a 
loud warning, but whose cry was entirely disregarded. 

'' Those who witnessed the manoeuvre," writes 
Joutel, " were convinced,' by irresistible evidence, 
that the vessel was wrecked by design, which was 
one of the blackest and most detestable crimes 
which can enter into the human heart." 

The vessel was run upon the shore at the high- 
est tide. All efforts to float her again were unavail- 
ing. The calamity was irretrievable. The Aimable 
contained all the ammunition, the mechanic tools, 
and the farming and household utensils. But La 
Salle, ever rising superior to the blows of misfortune, 
still retained his firmness. Diligently he engaged in 
removing the stores from the wrecked ship. One of 
the shallops had been, as it was believed, treacher- 
ously destroyed. 

With the one shallop which remained, he suc- 
ceeded, that afternoon, in removing from the ship to 
an encampment on the shore, the ammunition, a con- 
♦siderable portion of the mechanic tools, the farming 
and domestic utensils, and a few barrels of provisions. 
During the night a storm arose. The vessel was 
dashed to pieces. In the morning the bay was 
covered with barrels, chests, bales, and other debris 
of the wreck. While affairs were in this deplorable 
state, the savages, about one hundred and twenty in 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 297 

number, made another visit to the camp. The 
shores were strewed with articles of inestimable 
value to these poor Indians. Sentinels were sta- 
tioned to prevent any robbery ; but the Indians 
manifested no disposition to perpetrate any acts of 
violence. 

La Salle was in great want of more boats. The 
Indians had some, which were dug out from im- 
mense trunks of trees, of graceful form and rich carv- 
ing, capable of carrying twenty or thirty men. As 
all the work on these boats had been performed with 
stone hatchets, almost an infinity of labor had been 
expended upon them, and they were deemed very 
valuable. 

La Salle sent two trusty men to the village of the 
Indians, to purchase, if they could, two of the boats. 
When they entered the wigwams, they found that a 
bale of blankets, which had drifted along the bay, 
had been picked up by the Indians, and divided 
among them. They made no attempt at conceal- 
ment. Not having any clear views of the rights of 
property, they had no thought that they had done 
anything wrong in taking goods which they had 
found drifting in the water. The officers returned 
to La Salle with this report. 

Suffering from shipwreck and great destitution, 
it was necessary for him to economize, as much as 
13" 



298 ^ THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

possible, in his expenditures. He therefore decided 
to send some men to the Indians, to endeavor to 
obtain two boats in exchange for the blankets and a 
few other articles which they had picked up. M. 
Hamel, one of Beaujeu's officers, volunteered to go 
on this mission, with a boat's crew, in the shallop of 
the Joli. He was an impetuous young fellow, with 
more bravery than prudence. Assuming that the 
Indians had stolen the blankets, and that they were 
to be browbeaten and forced to make restitution by 
the surrender of two of their boats, he advanced, 
upon his landing, in such menacing military array as 
to frighten the Indians. Most of them fled into the 
woods. 

He entered the deserted cabins, picked up all the 
blankets he could find, stole a number of very nicely 
tanned deer skins, and then, seizing two of the best 
boats, put men on board of each, and commenced 
his return to the ship. He was quite elated with his 
performance, thinking it a heroic achievement. As 
they were paddling slowly down the bay, the wind 
rose strongly against them. Night came on cold 
and dark. It became necessary to land and wait for 
the morning. 

They built a large fire. Wrapped in blankets, 
they threw themselves upon the grass around, with 
their feet toward the glowing coals, and soon all 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 299 

fell asleep. Sentinels had been stationed at a short 
distance from the fire, but they slept also. 

The Indians returned to their wigwams. They 
found their treasures gone and two of their best 
boats stolen. As night came, they saw in the dis- 
tance the light of a camp-fire, and understood full well 
what it signified. With silent tread, and breathing 
vengeance, they crept through the forest upon their 
sleeping foes. At a given signal, the forest re- 
sounded with the dreadful war-whoop, and a shower 
of arrows fell upon the sleepers. Two were killed 
outright ; two were severely wounded. The rest 
sprung to their arms, while some fled in terror. 

The Indians, aware of the terrible power of the 
white man's musket, did not wait for a battle. 
Having inflicted this deed of revenge, they suddenly 
disappeared. One of the men, M. Moranget, a 
nephew of La Salle, succeeded in reaching the en- 
campment of his friends, though faint and bleeding. 
One arrow had inflicted a terrible wound, almost 
cutting its way through his shoulder. Another had 
cut a deep gash along his bosom. 

La Salle immediately sent an armed party to the 
spot. He was exceedingly chagrined by the cruel 
blunder perpetrated by his envoy. Though he 
could not blame the Indians, he knew full well that, 
their vengeance being thus aroused, they would, if 



300 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

they could, doom all to indiscriminate slaughter. 
It was necessary for him therefore to take the most 
decisive action . in self-defence. The dead were 
buried. One man, helplessly wounded, was brought 
back to the camp. The others returned unharmed. 
This disaster took place in the night of the 5th of 
March, 1685. 

These calamities operated fearfully against La 
Salle. Beaujeu took advantage of them, and lost no 
opportunity of proclaiming them as evidence that 
La Salle was utterly incompetent to conduct such an 
enterprise as that in which he was engaged. 
Quite a number, who had formerly been friends of 
La Salle, ranged themselves on the side of Beaujeu, 
who now openly proclaimed his intention of aban- 
doning the enterprise and returning to France. 
Still he continued to do everything in his power to 
embarrass the operations of La Salle. There were 
several pieces of cannon on board the Belle. But 
nearly all the cannon balls were in the hold of the 
Joli. Beaujeu, on the eve of his departure, refused 
to give them up, saying that it was inconvenient for 
him to get at them. 

About the 14th of March, Captain Beaujeu spread 
the sails of the Joli, and disappeared over the hori- 
zon .of the sea, on his voyage to France. He took 
with him sixty or seventy of the company, and many 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 30I 

stores which were deemed essential in the estabHsh- 
ment of a colony. La Salle was left with about two 
hundred men, encamped upon the banks of an un- 
known inlet, and with one single small vessel, the 
Belle, anchored in the bay. To add to the gloom 
of his situation, the Indians were justly exasperated 
against him. 

The first thing to be done was to build a fort for 
defence. Thinking it not impossible that the broad 
creek he had entered might prove to be one of the 
mouths of the Mississippi, he decided to set out on 
an exploring tour up the river for some distance into 
the interior. Five boats, containing a well-armed 
party of about fifty persons, embarked upon this 
enterprise. La Salle himself took the command. 
About one hundred and forty persons were left 
behind in the fort, under the control of M. Joutel. 
Those who were left in garrison, were to employ 
their time in strengthening the fort, and in building 
a large boat on the European plan. 

The savages came frequently around the encamp- 
ment at night, barking like dogs and howling Hke 
wolves. They did not venture upon any attack. 
Upon one occasion, however, a few men were at 
work at a little distance from the encampment, 
when they saw a large band of savages approaching. 
The workmen fled to the fort, leaving all their tools 



302 ^ THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

behind them. The savages gathered them up and 
retired. It was not safe to wander far for game. But 
fish was taken in great abundance from the bay. 

Early in April, the garrison was alarmed by the 
sight of a distant sail. It was feared that it was a 
war-ship of the hostile Spaniards, coming to destroy 
them. The vessel, however, passed by, without 
apparently seeing the encampment. Several tragic 
incidents ensued. One man was bitten by a rattle- 
snake. After suffering dreadful agonies he died. 
Another, who was fishing, was swept away by the 
current and was drowned. Fortunately, beds of ex- 
cellent salt were found, formed by the evaporation 
of salt water in basins on the land. 

It must be confessed that the savages manifested 
much of a Christian disposition. They frequently 
came near the fort, and made signs indicative of 
their desire that friendly relations might be restored. 
But La Salle, fearing treachery, and not having full 
confidence in the prudence of those he left behind, 
gave orders that no intercourse should be opened 
with the savages until his return. 

Early in May, quite a large party of Indians 
appeared near the fort. Three of them, laying aside 
their weapons, came forward and made signs that 
they wished for a conference. M. Joutel, instead of 
sending three unarmed men to meet them, invited 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 303 

them to come into the fort. Though they thus 
placed themselves entirely in his power, they, with- 
out the slightest hesitation, entered the enclosure. 
They quietly sat down, and, by signs, said that 
hunters from the fort had often been near them, so 
that they could easily have killed them. But they 
refrained from doing them any injury. M. Moranget, 
who had been so severely wounded, urged that they 
should be terribly punished, in revenge for the attack 
upon the camp. This infamous proposal M. Joutel 
rejected. 

But his conduct was inexcusable. He gave them 
a very unfriendly reception ; and soon ordered them 
to depart. They had scarcely left the entrance gate, 
when he ordered several muskets to be fired, as if at 
them. They thought that they were treacherously 
fired upon, and fled precipitately. He then ordered 
several cannon-shot to be thrown to the eminence, 
where the large party was peacefully assembled. 
This scattered them. Such was the response to the 
Indians' appeal for friendship. Thus insanely did 
the garrison estabHsh open hostilities between the 
two parties, when it was evident that the Indians 
desired friendship. 

La Salle, in ascending the river, found a prairie 
region far more rich and beautiful than that occupied 
by the encampment at the mouth of the creek. He 



304 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

sent back two boats, with directions that about thirty 
of the most able-bodied men should remain to garri- 
son the fort, while the rest, including all the women 
and children, were to embark, under M. Moranget, 
for the new location. Early in July another messen- 
ger came with instructions for all the remaining gar- 
rison to embark, with all the stores they could carry, 
in the Belle, and ascend the river many leagues, to 
join their companions in the new settlement, and to 
bury, in careful concealment, all the goods which 
could not be removed. 

But sorrows and troubles without number came. 
The blazing sun of summer withered them. Many 
were sick. All were languid, discontented, disheart- 
ened. The wood to build their huts had to be drawn 
three miles by hand. There was no heart for the 
work. Discontented men always quarrel. Even La 
Salle lost hope, and no longer displayed his custom- 
ary energy and sagacity. Those who had professed 
to be good house-carpenters, were found to be totally 
ignorant of their business. Food became scarce. 
More than thirty in a few weeks died. These funeral 
scenes spread gloom over the whole encampment, 
and all wished themselves back in France. 

La Salle could intrust weighty responsibilities to 
no one. He was compelled to superintend every- 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 305 

thing, and even to devote himself to the minutest 
details. 

La Salle called this river La Vache, or Cow River, 
in consequence of the vast number of buffalo cows 
which he saw grazing upon the banks. The spot 
chosen for the village or encampment, if we can judge 
from the description of M. Joutel, must have been 
quite enchanting. There was an elevated expanse, 
smooth and fertile, raised many feet above the level 
of the stream. An undulating prairie, covered with 
waving grass and flowers, spread far away for 
leagues toward the north and the west, bordered, in 
the distance, by forest-covered hills. The river 
flowed placidly upon the east, entering into the long 
and wide bay upon the south. Nothing could exceed 
the beauty of the prairie, waving in the richest bloom 
of flowers of every variety of tint. 

A large cellar was dug, that the ammunition and 
other valuables might be stored beneath the ground, 
as a protection against fire. La Salle, with a few 
companions, made several excursions of fifteen or 
twenty miles, into the country, hoping to find the 
Mississippi, or some Indians who could give him 
information upon that point. Failing in all these, he 
decided upon a more extensive exploration. 

The property at the settlement now consisted of 
only two hundred muskets, two hundred swords, one 



306 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

hundred kegs of powder, three thousand pounds of 
bullets, three hundred pounds of lead, several bars 
of steel and of iron to be hammered into nails, and a 
tolerable supply of farming and mechanic tools. 
They had no ploughs, horses, or oxen. Without 
these, farming could be carried on only upon a very 
limited scale. They had, however, twenty barrels of 
flour, a puncheon and a half of wine, a few gallons 
of brandy, one or two swine, and one cock and hen. 

The exploring party of fifty set out in two bands, 
in October, from the bay, which he had named St^ 
Louis. M. Joutel was left in command at the settle- 
ment, with the strictest injunctions to have no inter- 
course with the Indians. One band ascended the 
river in boats. The other followed along upon the 
shore. Having ascended the river many leagues, and 
being fully convinced that it was not a branch of the 
Mississippi, they drew their boats upon the eastern 
shore, and all commenced their march, over the 
boundless prairies, with packs upon their backs, 
toward the rising sun. 

Ere long they saw in the distance an Indian vil- 
lage, consisting of a cluster of thirty or forty wig- 
wams. It was delightfully situated. The Indians, 
in locating their villages, ever had a keen sense of 
landscape beauty. It is difficult to account for the 
fact that, under the leadership of La Salle, there 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 307 

should have been a battle. But it was so. We 
have no explanation of the circumstances. After a 
brief conflict, the savages fled, many being wounded 
and probably some killed, for they were accustomed 
to carry their dead with them on a retreat. 

La Salle and his party entered the abandoned 
village. They found, cowering in one of the wig- 
wams, a woman who had been struck by a bullet in 
the neck, and who was dying. A young girl was 
with her. Just after this. La Salle sent a party of 
six men to explore a stream. After a toilsome day 
the party encamped for the night. They built their 
fire, cooked their supper, and, without establishing 
any watch, wrapped themselves in their blankets for 
sleep. 

The next day they did not return. La Salle's 
anxieties were roused. He set out in search of them. 
The dead bodies of the six were found, pierced with 
arrows, scalped, and half devoured by wolves. The 
details of this midnight tragedy were never known. 
Saddened by this calamity, yet striving to maintain 
cheerful spirits, the party pressed on their way. 
After many days' march they came to another large 
river, which proved to be that which is now known 
as the Colorado, which empties into Matagorda Bay, 
more than four hundred miles west of the mouths 
of the Mississippi. 



308 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

As they were journeying along, one of the men, 
with bHstered feet, stopped to adjust his shoes. 
When he resumed his march, he found that the 
party was out of sight, and he could not overtake 
them. The grass of the prairie was higher than the 
men's heads, and there were many tracks through it 
which were called buffalo streets. It was impossible 
for him to tell which path the men had taken. He 
was hopelessly lost. To follow either one of them 
might lead him farther and farther from his compan- 
ions, where he would perish miserably. 

Night came. He fired his gun several times, but 
could get no response. He threw himself upon the 
grass. In the intensity of his anxiety, he could not 
sleep. All the next day and the next night, he 
remained upon the spot, hoping that his companions 
might come back in search for him. They did not 
return. He had been reprimanded the preceding 
day for some misconduct, and it was supposed that 
he had deserted. 

Almost in despair he retraced his steps, travelling 
mostly by night, through fear that he might en- 
counter the savages. After a month of toil and 
suffering, ragged and emaciate he at midnight 
reached the settlement. Many weeks passed away, 
and no tidings whatever were heard of the exploring 
party. One morning early in March, M. Joutel 



LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. 309 

chanced to be upon the roof of a hut, when he saw- 
far away on the prairie, eight men approaching. He 
immediately took a well-armed party and advanced 
to meet them. They proved to be a portion of the 
exploring band. They said that others were returning 
by another route. They were all in a deplorable condi- 
tion. Their clothes were in tatters. Most of them were 
without hats. Their shirts were entirely worn out. 

All were rejoiced to see La Salle again. But he 
had no tidings to give of the long-sought-for river. 
The situation in which the colonists, with their 
greatly diminished numbers, now found themselves 
was appalling. They were utterly lost in the bound- 
less wilderness of this new world. All communica- 
tion with their friends in France was cut off. There 
was no hope that any French vessel would ever 
search for them ; or could find them, even if such 
search were undertaken. The Indians were hostile. 
Death would gradually diminish their numbers, and 
finally the remnant would either be exterminated or 
carried into captivity by the savages. 

To add to the affliction of La Salle, the Belle, the 
only vessel remaining to him, was wrecked and 
utterly lost. Several of.the sailors were drowned ; and 
stores of inestimable value were destroyed. Father 
Le Clerc, in describing this untoward event, writes : 

" We leave the reader to imagine the grief and 



310 , THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the affliction felt by the ChevaHer La Salle, at an 
accident which completely ruined all his measures. 
His great courage even could not have borne him 
up, had not God aided his virtue by the help of 
extraordinary grace.'' 

Until the loss of the Belle, he had been sustained 
by the hope that, in the last extremity, the remnant 
of his company might find their way back to St. 
Domingo, and thence to France. This hope was 
now extinguished. 

Under these circumstances La Salle resolved to 
undertake another exploring tour. Having refreshed 
himself and his men, and obtained new articles of 
clothing, mainly by distributing the garments of the 
dead among the Hving, early in May, 1686, the party 
again set forth. Those who remained behind em- 
ployed themselves in strengthening the fortifications ; 
in unsuccessfully cultivating the soil, for most of the 
seeds would not sj^rout, and in the chase, laying in 
a store of jerked meat. They had several hostile 
rencontres with the Indians, in which the savages 
were invariably beaten, in consequence of the supe- 
riority of the weapons of the Europeans. 

But there was no harmony in the settlement. 
Loud murmurs ascended continually. Some de- 
nounced La Salle. Some defended him. The 
antagonistic parties were almost ready to draw their 
swords against each other. 



CHAPTER XV. 

A Trip tozvard Mexico. 

Arrangements for the Journey. — The Departure. — Indians on Horse- 
back. — Scenes of Enchantment. — Attractive Character of La 
Salle. — Visit to the Kironas. — The Bite of the Snake, — Adven- 
tures Wild and Perilous. — Hardihood of the Indian Hunter, — 
The Long Sickness. — A Man Devoured by a Crocodile. — The 
Return. 

Though La Salle was now more than four 
hundred miles west of the Mississippi River, he was 
still under the impression that he was east of that 
point. He therefore, in his blind search; directed 
his steps toward the setting sun. Father Douay, 
who accompanied this expedition, has given a de- 
tailed account of its adventures. 

After religious ceremonies in the chapel of the 
fort, the party, consisting of twenty persons, set out, 
on the 22d of April, 1686. They took, for the 
journey, four pounds of powder, four pounds of lead, 
two axes, two dozen knives, two kettles, and a few 
awls and beads. 

On the third day out they entered one of the 
most beautiful prairies they had ever seen. To their 



312 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

astonishment they saw, on the plain, a large number 
of people, some on foot and some on horseback. 
Several of these came galloping toward them, booted 
and spurred, and seated on saddles. They were 
Indians who were in a high state of civilization, hav- 
ing long held intimate relations with the Spaniards. 
They gave the Frenchmen an earnest invitation to 
visit them, in their village, which was about twenty 
miles distant. But as this would take them quite 
out of their course, the invitation was declined. 
Continuing their tour, they encamped at night, being 
careful to throw up around them entrenchments 
which would protect them from attack. The next 
two days they continued their journey over the 
prairie, until they reached a river, which La Salle 
named Robek. The amount of wild cattle seen was 
prodigious. Many of the herds numbered thou- 
sands. In a few moments they shot ten. The meat 
they cut into veiy thin slices, and dried in the blaz- 
ing sun, over the smoke of a smouldering fire. Thus 
they were provided with nutritious food for four or 
five days. 

Crossing the Robek in a hastily constructed raft, 
after marching about five miles they came to another 
very beautiful river, wider and deeper than the Seine 
at Paris. It was^skirted by a magnificent forest, with 
no underbrush, presenting a park such as the hand of 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 313 

man never planted. In this Eden-like grove there 
were many trees laden with rich fruit. 

This river, which La Salle named La Maligne, 
they also crossed upon a raft. Passing through the 
forest beyond, they entered upon another extensive 
prairie. Continuing their tour through a country 
which they describe as full of enchantments, with 
blooming plains skirted with vines, fruit trees, and 
groves, they came to a river which they callen Hiens, 
from one of their party, a German, who, in endeav- 
oring to ford it, got stuck fast in the mud. Two 
men swam across with axes on their backs. They 
then cut down the largest trees, on each side, so that 
their branches met in the middle. By this bridge 
the party crossed. More than thirty times, during 
this trip, they resorted to this measure for crossing 
streams. 

^' After several days' march," writes Father Douay, 
" in a pretty fine country, we entered a delightful 
territory, where we found a numerous tribe, who re- 
ceived us with all possible friendship ; even the women 
coming to embrace our men. They made us sit 
down on well-made rtiats, at the upper end of the 
wigwam, near the chiefs, who presented us with the 
calumet, adorned with feathers of every hue, which 
we had to smoke in turn." ■ 

The Indians feasted them abundantly, with the 
14 



314 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. ■ 

best of their fare, and presented them with some ex- 
cellently tanned buffalo skins, for moccasins. La 
Salle gave them, in return, some beads, with which 
they seemed to be greatly delighted. Father Douay 
writes : 

'* During our stay, Chevalier La Salle so won 
them by his manners, and insinuated so much of the 
glory of our king, telling them that he was greater 
and higher than the sun, that they were all ravished 
with astonishment." 

Continuing their journey, they crossed several 
rivers, until they came to a large Indian village of 
three hundred cabins. Just as they were approach- 
ing the village they came upon a herd of deer and 
shot one. The Indians, who heard the report and 
saw the deer fall dead, were terror-stricken. In a 
mass they fled to the neighboring forest. La Salle, 
to avoid surprise, entered the village in military array. 

Entering the largest cabin, which proved to be 
that of the chief, they found a very aged woman, the 
wife of the chief, who, from her infirmities, was 
unable to fly. La Salle treated the terrified woman 
with the greatest kindness, and by signs assured her 
that he intended no harm. Three grown-up sons of 
the chief, who were watching the progress of events 
with great solicitude, seeing no indication of hostile 
measures, cautiously returned. La Salle met them 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 315 

With friendly signs, and accepted the presented calu- 
met. The young chiefs then called to their people 
in the distance, and all returned. The evening was 
passed in feasting, dancing, and all kinds of semi- 
barbarian festivities. 

Still La Salle did not venture to sleep in the 
wigwams, where his party would be entirely in the 
power of those who might prove treacherous. He 
returned to encamp in a dense cane-brake, where no 
foe could approach without giving warning. In the 
night, some thought they heard approaching foot- 
steps. But La Salle made it manifest that they 
were all on the alert, and the foe, if there were any 
foe approaching, drew off. 

The alarm was doubtless groundless. The next 
morning there was a repetition of all the tokens 
of friendship which were manifested the evening 
before. Continuing their route about thirty miles., 
they came to another Indian village. The savages 
seemed to have no suspicions whatever of the 
strangers. A party, seeing them approaching in the 
distance, came out to meet them as if they were old 
friends. They seemed to be quite gentlemanly men 
in their courteous and polished demeanor. They 
gave the strangers an earnest invitation to visit their 
village. 

These Indians had heard of the Spaniards, and of 



3l6 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the atrocities of which they were guilty farther west. 
They were quite overjoyed when told that the 
French were at war with the Spaniards ; and were 
quite eager to raise an army and march with the 
French to attack them. La Salle entered into a 
cordial alliance with these Indians, who were called 
the Kironas. He promised that he would eventu- 
ally, if it were in his power, return with more numer- 
ous troops. 

It would appear that La Salle was now convinced 
that he would not find the Mississippi by journeying 
further west ; for he turned his steps toward the 
northeast. There was a large river near the village, 
across which the hospitable Indians paddled them in 
their boats. As they were crossing a beautiful 
prairie, their Indian companion, whose name was 
Nika, called out suddenly, '' I am dead ! I am dead." 

A venomous snake had bitten him, and the limb 
began instantly to throb and swell. In rude sur- 
gery, they, with their pocket-knives, cut out the flesh 
around. Deep gashes were cut near the wound, 
hoping that the poison would be carried away, in the 
free flowing of the blood. They applied poultices of 
herbs, which they had been told were available in 
such cases. After much suffering, which the Indian 
bore with wonderful stoicism, he recovered from 
the perilous wound. 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 317 

Journeying on, day after day, they at length 
reached a broad river, whose current was so rapid 
that they saw, at once, that it would be very difficult 
to effect a passage. This was probably the Colorado, 
many miles above the point where they had touched 
it in one of their previous excursions. They made a 
raft. Most of the company were afraid to attempt 
to cross upon it. La Salle, with his brother-Cavalier 
and one or two others, got on. As soon as they 
pushed out from the shore, into the middle of the 
stream, the swiftly rushing torrent seized them, 
whirled the raft around, and swept it down the 
stream with resistless velocity. In a few moments 
it disappeared, as the foaming flood bore it around 
a bend in the stream. 

** It was a moment," writes Father. Douay, "of 
extreme anguish for us all. We despaired of ever 
again seeing our guardian angel the Chevalier de la 
Salle." Several hours passed away. The men left 
upon the bank were in utter bewilderment. They 
knew not what to do. '* The day was spent," it is 
written, '' in tears and weeping." 

Just before nightfall, to their great joy, they saw 
La Salle and his party on the opposite side of the 
river. It subsequently appeared that the raft struck 
a large tree, which had been torn from the banks, 
and was almost stationary in the middle of the 



3l8 ^THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

stream ; its roots, heavy with earth and stone, drag- 
ging on the bottom. By seizing the branches they 
dragged themselves out of the current, and by 
grasping the branches of other trees, overhanging 
the water, they at length, through a thousand perils, 
succeeded in gaining the eastern bank, several miles 
below the point where they had constructed the 
raft. One of the men was swept from the raft and 
swam ashore. 

The party was now divided, with the foaming and 
apparently impassable torrent rushing between them. 
On both sides the night was spent in great anxiety. 
Many were the plans suggested and abandoned, to 
form a reunion. In the morning. La Salle shouted 
to them across the river, that they must build two 
light rafts, of the very buoyant canes, and cross on 
them, promising them that he would send several 
strong swimmers into the river to aid them. 

One such raft was constructed. With fear and 
trembling five men ventured upon it. The raft was 
so light that it barely supported its burden. With 
long poles they succeeded in reaching the centre of 
the stream. Then two men from the opposite side 
swam out, and by their aid, with vigorous paddling, 
they safely reached the land, after drifting far down 
the stream. 

The most timid ones were left behind. They 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 319 

dared not venture the passage. La Salle, seeing 
their hesitation, ordered his men to pack up and 
continue their march, leaving them behind. The 
greater peril overcame the less. To be abandoned 
there they deemed sure destruction. They shouted 
across the river, begging for delay. Inspired by the 
energies of almost despair, they vigorously built their 
raft, and by noon all were happily reassembled to 
press on their way. 

For two days they moved slowly and laboriously 
along, cutting their way, with the two axes, through 
an immense forest of cane-brakes. On the third 
day an incident occurred which peculiarly illustrates 
the sagacity and endurance of the Indians. Their 
Indian hunter, Nika, who, as we have said, accom- 
panied La Salle from Canada, left the party the day 
before they reached the river, in search of game. 
They had heard nothing from him since. It was 
in vain to search for him, and the party could not 
delay its march to wait for his return. 

On the evening of the fourth day after his ab- 
sence, as the men were gathered around the camp- 
fire, httle expecting to see Nika again, he came 
quietly into the camp as composed as if nothing 
unusual had occurred. He had on his shoulders a 
large amount of the choicest cuts of venison, which 
he had dried in the sun, and nearly the whole of a 



320 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

deer which he had just killed. He had probably 
swum the stream, floating the venison across on a 
log by his side. And all this he had done, notwith- 
standing his wound from the bite of a snake and all 
the cruel surgery he had undergone. La Salle was 
so overjoyed to see again his faithful attendant and 
friend, that he ordered several guns to be fired in 
salute of his safe return. 

" Still marching east," writes Father Douay, '' we 
entered countries more beautiful than any we yet had 
passed. Here we found native tribes who had noth- 
ing barbarous about them but the name. Among 
others we met a very honest Indian returning from 
the chase with his wife and family. He presented 
Chevalier de la Salle with one of his horses, and 
some meat. He also invited all our party to his 
cabin. To induce us to visit him, he left his wife, 
children, and game with us as pledges, and galloped 
off to his village to announce our coming and to se- 
cure for us a cordial welcome.'* 

Nika, and another of the attendants of La Salle, 
accompanied him. The village was at some dis- 
tance, so that two days passed before their return. 
The hospitable Lidian came back with two horses 
laden with provisions. Several chiefs and warriors 
came back with him on horseback. They were all 
neatly and even beautifully dressed, in softly tanned 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 321 

deer-skins, tastefully fringed, and with head-dresses of 
waving plumes. In picturesque beauty their attire 
would favorably compare with the court dresses of 
most of the European monarchies. 

The principal chief rode forward, bearing conspic- 
uously the plumed calumet of peace. La Salle had 
been slowly advancing, and the two parties met about 
nine miles from the village. After cordial greetings, 
the united band continued its march. When but a 
short distance from the cluster of native dwellings, 
an immense concourse of people was seen flocking 
out to meet the strangers. The young men were 
quite imposingly marshalled in military array. But 
the reception was so cordial, and the indications of 
sincerity so unquestionable, that no one entertained 
the slightest apprehension of treachery. 

La Salle and his party remained three days, enjoy- 
ing the good cheer of this truly hospitable people. 
This very prudent commander encamped three or 
four miles outside of the village. He had no fear 
of the natives, but he had not full confidence in his 
own men. Any impropriety of the members of his 
party toward the females of the village, might sud- 
denly turn their friendly relations into bitter hostil- 
ity. There were apparently many pleasant families. 
The young maidens were generally of pleasing fea- 
tures, and graceful as sylphs in form. La Salle pur- 
14* 



322 ^ THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

chased several horses, which proved to be of ines- 
timable value to him. 

The region which the explorers had reached was 
probably not far from Austin County, in the present 
State of Texas. It was a more highly civilized and 
more densely inhabited country than any they had 
hitherto passed through, in any portion of the conti- 
nent. For a distance of sixty miles they found a 
continuous series of villages, but a few miles apart, 
all prosperous, harmonious, and happy. 

Their cabins were large and commodious, fre- 
quently forty or fifty feet high, with dome-like roofs, 
in the shape of the old-fashioned bee-hives. They 
were made by planting very tall saplings in the 
ground, in the form of a circle. Their tops were 
bent down and bound together. This whole frame- 
work was very neatly and effectually thatched with 
the long grass of the prairie. The beds, consisting 
of soft mats, were ranged around the cabin, raised 
about three feet from the ground. The fire, seldom 
needed except for cooking, in that warm latitude, 
was in the middle. Each cabin usually accommo- 
dated two families. 

These Indians were called the Coenis nation. It 
was very evident that they had held some inter- 
course with the Spaniards. La Salle found among 
them silver coins, silver spoons, and various kinds of 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 323 

European clothes. Horses were abundant. A horse 
was readily exchanged for an axe. La Salle could 
only converse with them by signs. They said no 
Spaniards had ever yet visited them, though there 
was a settlement of them at the distance of about 
six days' journey west. Several of their most intelli- 
gent men drew a map of the country upon some 
bark. They deHneated a large river many days 
journey to the east, which La Salle had no doubt 
was the Mississippi. 

"The Chevaher La Salle," writes Father Douay, 
"who perfectly understood the art of gaining the 
Indians of all nations, filled these with admiration at 
every moment. He told them that the chief of the 
French was the greatest chief in the world ; that he 
was as far above the Spaniards as the sun is above 
the earth. On his recounting the victories of our 
monarch they burst into exclamations of astonish- 
ment. I found them very docile and tractable. 
They comprehended well enough what we told them 
of the truth of a God." 

After the refreshment of this delightful visit, the 
explorers continued their journey. After travelling 
about thirty miles, four of the men, during a night's 
encampment, deserted and went back to cast in 
their lot for life with the Indians. They were house- 
less and homeless adventurers, with no ties to bind 



324 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

them to the cares, toils, and restraints of civiHzed hfe. 
It is not surprising that they should have been 
charmed with the ease, abundance, and freedom of 
life in the wigwam. They probably became incor- 
porated in the tribes, took Indian wives, and were 
heard of no more. 

At this encampment La Salle and his nephew, 
M. Moranget, were both attacked with a violent 
fever. They had frequent relapses, so that two 
weary months passed before the march could be 
resumed. During this long delay they did not suffer 
for food, for there was abundance of game, and of 
great variety. Their powder, however, began to fail 
them. According to their estimate, they were about 
four hundred and fifty miles, in a straight line, from 
their settlement. It was resolved now to hasten 
back. Their horses, which found abundant pasturage 
on the rich prairies, did them good service, bearing 
the sick upon their backs and the burdens of all. 

They came to a river which it was necessary to 
cross by a raft. Indeed every few leagues they 
encountered such a stream. They generally swam 
their horses over. In this case, La Salle, with one or 
two of his men, was upon a light raft of canes. 
Suddenly an enormous crocodile, twenty feet in 
length, raised his head out of the water, and with 
one snap of his horrid jaws grasped one of the rnen 



A TRIP TOWARD MEXICO. 325 

by the waist and drew him under. As the monster 
sank, there was one short, wild shriek from the 
victim, a sHght crimson tinge of the waves, and a 
small circling whirlpool marking the spot where the 
huge beast had gone down. Thus, in an instant, as 
by the lightning's flash, another of the terrible trage- 
dies of this tragic world had come and gone. 

On the 17th of October this wearied and dimin- 
ished party reached the camp, after an absence of 
six months. Of the twenty who left, but eight 
returned. The meeting was one of joy and of sad- 
ness. Both parties had narratives to give of disaster ; 
and gloom impenetrable still hung over the feeble 
colony, so rapidly wasting away. In commenting 
upon this enterprise, Father Douay writes : 

** It would be difficult to find in history, courage 
more intrepid or more invincible than that of the 
Chevalier de la Salle. In adversity he was never 
cast down. He always hoped, with the help of 
heaven, to succeed in his enterprises, despite all the 
obstacles that rose against it.'* 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Last Days of La Salle, 

Plan for the New Journey. — Magnitude of the Enterprise. — Affecting 
Leave-taking. — The Journey Commenced. — Adventures by the 
Way. — Friendly Character of the Indians. — Vast Realms of 
Fertility and Beauty. — The Joys and the Sorrows of Such a Pil- 
grimage. — The Assassination of La Salle and of three of his Com- 
panions. 

La Salle was now fully convinced that he was 
west of the Mississippi River. He resolved to set 
out on a journey across the country to Canada, a 
distance of probably not less than two thousand 
miles. His design was to send tidings to France of 
his disasters, and thus to secure aid to be sent thence 
to his suffering and expiring colony. 

By pursuing his route toward the northeast, he 
was sure of eventually striking the Mississippi. He 
would then feel quite at home. Following up that 
stream and the Illinois, he could easily pass over to 
the lakes, and then reach Canada through regions 
with which he was quite familiar. More than two 
months were spent in strengthening the defences of 
the settlement, and in laying in stores of provisions 
for those who were to be left behind. 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 327 

At midnight of the 7th of January, 1687, the 
whole company met in the Httle chapel for a solemn 
religious service, to implore God's blessing upon the 
enterprise. The scene was very affecting. Nearly 
all were in tears. There were but few chances that 
those then bidding each other adieu would ever 
meet again. Those who left, and those who re- 
mained, were alike exposed. La Salle selected 
twenty men to accompany him. Among those, were 
his brother, his ever-faithful Indian attendant, M. 
Douay, to whose pen we are indebted for the record 
of the last expedition, and M. Joutel, who kept a 
daily journal of the events of this journey. M. 
Douay wrote also quite a minute account of the ex- 
pedition. Both of their narratives now lie before 
me. We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of 
either. There were but twenty French left behind, 
including seven women and children. La Salle gave 
them a parting address. Father Douay writes : 

" He made an address full of eloquence, with that 
engaging way so natural to him. The whole colony 
was present, and were all moved to tears. They 
were alike persuaded of the necessity of his voyage 
and the uprightness of his intentions." 

The property left with the colonists consisted of 
seventy pigs, large and small, twenty hens and chick- 
ens, a few barrels of corn, which was carefully kept for 



328 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the sick, a considerable quantity of powder and lead, 
and eight cannons, but without balls. 

The heroic and devout Father Membre remained 
as the spiritual guide. M. Barbier was left with the 
secular command. La Salle drew up very minute 
directions for the administration of affairs during his 
absence. 

'* We parted," writes M. Joutel, '' in a manner so 
tender, so sorrowful, that it would seem that we had 
a secret presentiment that we should never again see 
each other. Father Membre was deeply affected. 
He said to me that never before had he experienced 
a parting so painful." 

It was the 12th of January, 1689, when this truly 
forlorn hope set out upon its long journey. They 
took with them the five horses, bearing some arti- 
cles of food and such things as they would need for 
their night's encampment. The second day of their 
journey they came to a plain about six miles wide, 
which seemed to be covered with buffaloes, deer, 
flocks of wild turkeys, and every variety of game. 
Beyond the plain there was a splendid growth of 
trees. Upon entering the grove, they found that it 
fringed a small river. Concealed by these trees, they 
succeeded in shooting five buffaloes which had come 
to the river to drink. They crossed the river on a 
raft, and camped a mile and a half beyond, in a 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 329 

drenching rain. The skins and meat of these ani- 
mals were packed upon the horses. The skins, easily 
tanned, were of immense value in their subsequent 
lodgings. 

The next morning, the 14th, the sun rose in a 
cloudless sky. The prairie seemed spread out for 
leagues before them, covered with herds of buffaloes 
and deer, while immense flocks of turkeys and other 
birds of the prairie rose before them. About noon 
they saw% in the distance, an immense herd of buffa- 
loes rushing over the plains as if mad. They con- 
jectured at once that some Indian hunters were pur- 
suing them. Their conjecture proved correct. 

Soon they saw a savage, on the full run, and very 
flat-footed, pursuing the herd. Hastily the load was 
thrown from one of the horses, a man was mounted 
upon him, and galloping over the plain soon over- 
took the Indian, and led him back to the company. 
When the poor man saw himself surrounded by a 
group of white men, such as he had seen before, he 
was greatly terrified. And he had cause to be fright- 
ened. La Salle's associates infamously urged that 
he should be put to death, in revenge for the murder 
of their companions by some unknown Indian 
band. The humane, magnanimous leader found it 
necessary to present to his reckless followers such 
motives as they could appreciate. He said to them : 



330 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

" We are but few in number. We have before us 
a journey of hundreds of miles through a region 
crowded with Indian tribes. If we rouse the ven- 
geance of the savages, we shall all be cut off. Let 
us treat them with kindness, and thus we shall secure 
for ourselves kind treatment in return." 

The cordial smiles and friendly signs of this 
truly good man soon dispelled apparently the great 
alarm of the stranger. A fire was built. After 
abundantly feeding their hungry guest, and smoking 
with him the friendly pipe, La Salle, assuring him 
of his desire to do harm to none, but good to all, dis- 
missed him with presents which to the savage must 
have seemed almost like celestial gifts. Still the 
cautious Indian, accustomed to treachery, was evi- 
dently uncertain as to the fate which awaited him. 
As he withdrew, he cast anxious glances around, 
until he had attained the distance of a few rods, 
when he took to flight, with almost the rapidity of 
a deer. 

The travellers continued their route, and after an 
hour or two, overtook another Indian hunter. They 
caught him, and lavished upon him the same acts of 
kindness. As evening was approaching, they saw a 
large band of savages in the distance. Their attitude 
was somewhat menacing. When they caught sight 
of the Httle cluster of strangers, they separated into 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 33 1 

two parties, and advanced on the right and left, as 
if to surround them. When the two bands had 
come within musket-shot, La Salle ordered a halt. 
The savages halted also. For a few moments they 
attentively regarded each other, no movement being 
made on either side. 

Then La Salle, laying aside his arms, walked 
slowly forward toward the party where the head 
chief seemed to be, making signs for the chief to 
come and meet him. The chief was a tall man of 
powerful frame, and richly decorated. He came 
cautiously forward, while the rest of his party fol- 
lowed slowly at a little distance behind. As soon 
as it was seen that the two chiefs met cordially, all 
came running together in the interchange of caresses 
and every mark of friendly greeting. 

Fires were built, food was cooked, pipes were 
smoked. There was feasting and dancing and shout- 
ing. It was a marvellous spectacle which was then 
and there presented of semi-civilized and full bar- 
barian jollification. 

The savages were evidently delighted with their 
reception. They examined their presents with 
astonishment. With unfeigned joy they learned 
that La Salle intended to return and settle in their 
country ; and that he would bring an abundance of 
his treasures, which he would exchange with them 



332 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

for such articles as they had to part with. It was 
now the hour of evening twihght. The two parties 
separated, each going its own way. About a mile 
and a half in advance, there was a beautiful grove 
and a running stream. La Salle encamped there. 
With his customary prudence he threw up intrench- 
ments, and established sentinels as if he were in the 
enemy's country. 

They had but just established their camp, when 
they saw six savages approaching, following each 
other in single file. They came forward without 
any hesitation, as if visiting old friends. By signs 
they said that they had heard of the kind treatment 
their fellow countrymen had met with, and that they 
were brothers, not enemies. After a short and 
pleasant visit they retired, and the camp was left to 
undisturbed repose. 

In the m.orning, at an early hour, the march was 
resumed. There was before them a stream too deep 
to be forded. Not wishing to lose time in construct- 
ing a raft, they followed up the west bank of the 
stream for several miles. Their route led through 
an enchanting region of lawn-like prairies and park- 
like groves. The river was fringed with trees of 
every variety, without any underbrush. There were 
many pretty little creeks to be crossed, which ran 
into the main stream. The water was pure, sweet, 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 333 

and clear as crystal. Occasionally they came to a 
cane-brake, through which they cut their way with 
axes. Their appetites were fed with abundance of 
game. 

The next day, the 19th, they made but a short 
journey, and experienced great fatigue in fording 
streams and cutting their way through cane-brakes. 
They came across a few deserted cabins of the In- 
dians. During the slow progress of the day, their 
skilful Indian hunter Nika killed eight buffaloes. 
The most tender cuts were taken from them, and 
they there crossed the river by a ford. 

After traversing a few leagues, they came to an- 
other river, flowing through a low plain, elevated 
but shghtly above the stream. A dense fog set in, 
accompanied by a deluging rain. Here they en- 
camped in the woods which bordered the river. 
They passed a comfortless night, and the storm 
detained them all the next day. 

On the 19th the rain ceased, but the fog con- 
tinued. Their path led through marshy ground 
thoroughly soaked with rain, so that they often sank 
to their knees in the mire. Their feet were shod with 
moccasins made of the hide of buffaloes. These 
being alternately wet and dried, became stiff, and 
blistered their feet cruelly. Fortunately, they struck 
upon one of the ''streets " made by the buffaloes, as 



334 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

in thousands they followed one after the other, 
crushing their way through the cane-brakes. These 
animals were, by instinct, good engineers, and invari- 
ably selected the most favorable routes. Still the 
voyagers were often compelled to wade through 
deep mire, and their sufferings were at times severe. 

On the night of the 19th, they fortunately came 
upon a ridge, where they could enjoy a dry encamp- 
ment. They built a roaring fire, cooked a savory 
supper, nursed their blistered feet, and during a few 
hours of refreshing sleep forgot their toils. As they 
awoke the next morning the river was again falHng. 
Still they pressed on, entering upon another vast 
prairie covered with herds of buffaloes. At night 
they encamped upon the banks of a river too deep 
to be forded. On the 21st they ascended the banks 
of the stream, hoping to find a shallow spot where 
they could cross. Instead of this, they came to a 
place where the river flowed through a narrow and 
deep channel, with large trees on each side. They 
cut down two of these trees, so that their branches 
met in the middle, crossed on this bridge, and swam 
their horses over. 

On the other side, a beautiful country, of elevated, 
undulating prairie, opened before them. As they 
were preparing to encamp in the shelter of a grove, 
they heard voices, and soon beheld fifteen Indians 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 335 

approaching. The savages manifested no alarm, but 
in token of peace laid aside their bows and arrows, 
and came into the camp. They ate, smoked, ex- 
changed presents, and went on their way rejoicing, 
promising to visit the camp again. * 

The horses, as well as the men, were quite ex- 
hausted. They therefore remained, for a day of rest, 
on their very pleasant camping ground. During the 
day a band of twenty-two Indians came to them. 
They had shields impervious to arrows, made of the 
hide of buffaloes. They were at war with another 
tribe. They said that there were other white men, 
at the distance of ten days' journey on the west, 
doubtless referring to the Spaniards. The interview 
was mutually pleasant, and La Salle obtained some 
important information in reference to the continu- 
ance of his route. 

Onward they pressed, day after day, with alter- 
nate sunshine and storm, through marsh and forest, 
over prairies and across rivers, without encountering 
any adventure of much importance until the 1st of 
February. That day they discovered, at a distance, 
an Indian village. La Salle, leaving M. Joutel in 
charge of the camp, took his brother and seven men, 
and set out to reconnoitre. They came to a village 
of twenty-five wigwams, very pleasantly situated. 
Each wigwam contained four or five men, besides 



336 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

quite a number of women and children. The Indians 
received their guests very hospitably, conducted 
them to the dwelling of their chief, and seated them 
upon mats of buffalo skins. A great crowd gathered 
within and around the cabin. The chief, after feed- 
ing them abundantly upon buffalo steaks, informed 
them that he had been expecting their arrival. 
Other Indians had told him that they were in the 
country, and that they were on a route which would 
lead them near his village. 

Perfect harmony prevailed. Presents were ex- 
changed. The Indians were eager to give a nicely 
tanned buffalo robe for a knife or almost any trinket 
in the hands of the white men. But La Salle had no 
means of transporting the robes, which would prove 
so valuable in European markets. They continued 
their journey, often meeting with Indians, who were 
always friendly. At times a brotherly band would 
accompany them during the march of a whole day. 
By the aid of the Indians, the very light frame of a 
canoe was constructed, which was easily packed and 
carried. By stretching over it the skin of a buffalo, 
from which the hair had been removed, they were 
furnished with a very buoyant boat, with which to 
cross the rivers. The horses could easily swim the 
streams. 

On the loth of February, they saw before them 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 33/ 

a vast plain which had been swept by the flames. 
Thinking that they might not find game there, they 
made a halt of two days, to lay in a store of jerked 
meat. Resuming their journey, they soon passed the 
scathed region and entered again upon a country of 
bloom and verdure. On the evening of the 15th, 
they camped on the borders of a stream, where they 
saw evidences that a band of savages had recently 
passed that way. 

The next morning La Salle took his brother and 
seven men, and followed a well-trodden Indian trail 
in search of a village. After a short walk, they came 
upon a cluster of fifty or sixty cabins. His recep- 
tion was, as usual, cordial in the extreme. The 
leading men of the village were courteous in their 
bearing and intelligent in reference to matters relat- 
ing to their own country. They gave the names of 
twenty tribes or nations, through whose territories 
La Salle had already passed from his settlement, 
which he called St. Louis. On the 17th, one of the 
horses fell, and sprained his shoulder, so that he had 
to be left behind. 

For several days the journey was somewhat mo- 
notonous. They made about twenty or twenty-five 
miles a day. Indian hunters were continually met 
with, and Indian villages entered with essentially 
the same rites of friendship and hospitality. From 
15 



338 ^ THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

some of these Indians they heard tidings of those 
Frenchmen who had deserted. They were Hving in 
a very friendly manner among the Indians. On the 
1st of March they came to an immense marsh, par- 
tially submerged in water. The intricate passage 
across it was very difficult to find, and required the 
services of a guide. Several of the Indians volun- 
teered, and with great tenderness led them safely 
across. 

Passing the morass caused a delay of four or five 
days, as it could not be undertaken in a drenching 
rain which chanced then to be falling. On the 15th 
they emerged from this gloomy region and entered a 
country which, from the contrast, appeared to them 
remarkably beautiful. Here they encamped for a 
brief rest. Nika brought in word that he had killed 
two buffaloes, and wished to have a couple of horses 
sent to bring in the meat. A party of five was sent 
out, led by M. Moranget, who was a rash and irrita- 
ble man. There were three men who had accom- 
panied the hunter, and who were cutting up and 
drying the meat, in preparation for transporting it to 
the camp. At the same time they were cooking for 
themselves some of the choicest pieces. 

When Moranget reached the place and found the 
men feasting, as he thought, rather than jerking the 
meat, he reprimanded them, in his accustomed 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 339 

tones of severity. The men chanced to be the very- 
worst and most desperate in the camp. Moranget 
accompanied his denunciations with still more irri- 
tating actions. He took from them the delicious 
morsels which they cooked. Four men, for another 
had joined them, greatly enraged, sullenly abandoned 
their work, and retiring a short distance agreed to 
avenge themselves by killing Moranget, and also by 
killing Nika and another m.an who was the valet of 
La Salle. Both of these men were friends* and 
supporters of Moranget. 

They waited till night. All took their supper 
together. It was the night of the 17th of March. 
Though in that genial climate the weather was 
serene and mild, a rousing fire was found very grate- 
ful in protecting them from the chill of the night air. 
With the fading twilight the stars shone down 
brightly upon them, and, surrounded by the silence 
and solemnity of the prairie and the forest, they were 
soon apparently all asleep. 

One of the murderers, Liotot, cautiously arose, 
as by agreement, and with a hatchet in his hand, 
creeping toward Moranget, with one desperate blow 
split open his skull from crown to chin. The deed 
was effectually done. And yet with sinewy arm 
blow followed blow, till the head was one mass of 
clotted gore. The other two were despatched in 



340 , THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

the same way. The three remaining conspirators 
stood, with their guns cocked and primed, to shoot 
down either of the victims who might succeed in 
making any resistance. There is some shght discrep- 
ancy in the detail of these murders. It is said that 
Moranget, upon receiving the first blow, made a 
convulsive movement, as if to rise ; but that the 
valet and the Indian did not stir. 

One crime always leads to another. The con- 
spirators, having perpetrated these murders, now 
consulted together as to what was next to be done. 
Moranget was the nephew of La Salle. The valet 
and the Indian were his devoted friends. Their 
death could not be concealed. It was certain that 
La Salle would not allow it to go unavenged. 
Though punishment might be postponed until they 
should emerge from their long and perilous journey 
through the wilderness, there could be no doubt that 
as soon as they should reach a French mihtary post 
they would all die upon the scaffold. 

They decided to return to the camp, enlist a 
few others on their side, kill La Salle, and others 
of his prominent friends, when unsuspicious of dan- 
ger ; and thus involving all the rest in their own 
criminality, effectually prevent any witnesses from 
rising against them. Probably in some degree tor- 
tured by remorse, and trembhng in view of the task 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 34 1 

which they had undertaken, they remained for two 
days, the i8th and 19th, where they were, ostensibly 
employed in jerking the meat. 

La Salle, not knowing how to account for this 
long absence, became uneasy. He decided to go 
himself, taking a few others with him, to ascertain 
the cause. To his friends he expressed serious 
apprehensions that some great calamity had hap- 
pened. M. Joutel was left in charge of the camp, 
and La Salle, with Father Douay and another com- 
panion, set out in search of the lost ones. 

Father Douay gives the following account of 
the tragic scene which ensued : 

" All the way La Salle conversed with me of 
matters of piety, grace, and predestination. He 
expatiated upon all his obligations to God, for hav- 
ing saved him from so many dangers during the last 
twenty years that he had traversed America. He 
seemed to me to be peculiarly penetrated with a 
grateful sense of God's kindness to him. Suddenly 
I saw him plunged into a deep melancholy, for which 
he himself could not account. He was so troubled 
that he no longer seemed like himself. As this was 
an unusual state of mind with him, I endeavored to 
rouse him from his lethargy. 

Two leagues after, we found the bloody cravat of 
his valet. He perceived two eagles flying over his 



342 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

head. At the same time he discerned some of his 
people on the edge of the river. He approached 
them, asking what had become of his nephew. They 
answered incoherently, pointing to a spot where they 
said we should find him. We proceeded some steps 
along the bank, to the fatal spot where two of his 
murderers were hidden in the grass, one on each side, 
with guns cocked. One missed Monsieur de la Salle 
The one firing at the same time shot him in the 
head. He died an hour after, on the 19th of March 
1687. 

" I expected the same fate. But this danger did 
not occupy my thoughts, penetrated with grief at so 
cruel a spectacle. I saw him fall, a step from me, his 
face all full of blood. He had confessed and per- 
formed his devotions just before we started. During 
his last moments he manifested the spirit of a good 
Christian, especially in the act of pardoning his mur- 
derers. 

" Thus died our wise commander, constant in 
adversity, intrepid, generous, engaging, dexterous, 
skilful, capable of everything. He, who for twenty 
years had softened the fierce temper of countless 
savage tribes, was massacred by the hands of his 
own domestics, whom he had loaded with caresses. 
He died in the prime of life, in the midst of his enter- 
prises, without having seen their success. I could 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 343 

not leave the spot where he had expired, without 
having buried him as well as I could. After which I 
raised a cross over his grave." 

In reference to the burial, Joutel gives a little 
different account. He says: *' The shot which 
killed ;Ju^«te4- was the signal for the accomplices of 
the assa^sm to rush to the spot. With barbarous 
cruelty they stripped him of his clothing, even to his 
shirt. The poor dead body was treated with every 
indignity. The corpse was left, entirely naked, to the 
voracity of wild beasts." 

Both of these accounts may be essentially true. 
The barbarities practised by the assassins may have 
preceded or followed the hasty burial of Douay, 
Father Douay, in his account, continues : 

'' Occupied with these thoughts, which La Salle 
had a thousand times suggested to us, while relat- 
ing the events of the new discoveries, I unceasingly 
ad'ored the inscrutable designs of God in this con- 
duct of His Providence, uncertain still what fate He 
reserved for us, as our desperadoes plotted nothing 
less than our destruction. We at last entered the 
place where Monsieur Cavalier was. The assassins 
entered the cabin unceremoniously, and seized all 
that was there. I had arrived a moment before 
them. I had no need to speak ; for as soon as Ga- 



344 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

valier beheld my countenance, all bathed in tears, he 
exclaimed aloud : 

" ' Ah, my poor brother is dead.' 

" This holy ecclesiastic, whose virtue has been so 
often tried in the apostolic labors of Canada, fell at 
once on his knees. I myself, and some others did 
the same, to prepare to die the same death. But 
the murderers, touched by some sentiment of com- 
passion at the sight of the venerable old man, and 
besides half-penitent for the murders they had com- 
mitted, resolved to spare us, on condition that we 
should never return to France. But as they were 
still undecided, and many of them wished to go 
home to France, we heard them often say to one 
another, that they must get rid of us ; that otherwise 
we should accuse them before the tribunals, if we 
once had them in the kingdom.* 

The leader of these desperadoes, a wretch by the 
name of Duhaut, at once assumed the supreme com- 
mand. The company now consisted of but seven- 
teen. The timid ones, trembling for their lives, 
feigned entire devotion to the cause of the assassins. 
Duhaut ruled with an iron hand. It was manifest 
that the least indication of an insubordinate spirit 
would lead to instant death. Some of the best men 
were for organizing a conspiracy to assassinate the 
assassins. But the priest Cavalier continually said no, 



THE LAST DAYS OF LA SALLE. 345 

repeating the words, " Vengeance is mine. I will 
repay, saith the Lord." 

It is impossible to determine the precise spot 
where the murder of La Salfe and his companions 
took place. We know that it was several days' 
journey west of the Cenis Indians, whose territory 
extended along the banks of Trinity River, which 
empties into Galveston Bay. It is therefore con- 
jectured that it must have been near one of the 
streams flowing into the Brazos, in the heart of 
Texas, probably not far from where Washington 
now is. 

15* 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Penalty of Crime, 

Nature's Storms. — The Gloom of the Soul. — Approach to the Cenis 
Village. — Cordial Welcome. — Barbaric Ceremonials. — Social 
Habits of the Indians. — Meeting with the French Deserters: — 
Traffic with the Indians. — Quarrel between Hiens and Duhaut. 
The Assassins Assassinated. — Departure of the War Party. — 
Fiend-like Triumph. — The March Resumed. 

The morning of the 2ist ushered in a day of 
gloom, wind, and rain. Nature, in the moaning 
storm, seemed in sympathy with the sadness which 
must have oppressed all hearts. Silently they toiled 
along, drenched with the falling rain, until noon, 
when the storm became so severe that they were 
compelled to halt. They threw up their camp in a 
deep and dark ravine. The murderers could have no 
rest. They were in continual fear that the friends 
of La Salle would rise and kill them. Father Douay, 
M. Joutel, and La Salle's brother the Chevalier, 
knew full well that the murderers had the strongest 
possible incentive to kill them also. 

There is no storm so desolating, so ruinous to all 
happiness, as sin. Could these voyagers have con- 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 347 

tinued their journey with fraternal love, its material 
obstacles could all have been pleasantly surmounted. 
But henceforth, for them, there were no more sunny 
skies, no more blooming prairies, no more joy- 
ous gatherings and feastings around the camp fire. 
Journeying on, through a gloomy country, and in 
sombre weather, they came, on the 24th, to a river. 
Most of the party swam across. Father Douay, M. 
Joutel, and Cavalier could not swim. Some friendly 
Indians came along and, swimming by their side, 
helped them over. A journey of four days more 
brought them to a large village of the Cenis Indians, 
on a stream which they called by the same name. 

The region was beautiful. There was no con- 
tinuous forest, but extended, well-watered plains, 
interspersed with groves of a great variety of majes- 
tic trees. They frequently met with Indians, from 
whom they always received kind treatment. Most 
of the men encamped a few miles from the village, 
M. Joutel was sent, with three others, to purchase 
from them, if possible, some corn. One of the men 
thus sent forward was Hiens, one of the original con- 
spirators with Duhaut. M. Joutel was annoyed in 
^accompanying a murderer on this mission, but it was 
not safe to make any remonstrance. Duhaut kept 
careful guard over all the effects. He intrusted a 



348 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

few hatchets and knives to his envoys, with instruc- 
tions to purchase corn, and, if possible, a horse. 

They had not gone far before they saw three sav- 
ages approaching them on horseback. One had a hat 
and cloak, which he had probably obtained in some 
way from the Spaniards. The other two were en- 
tirely naked. The three had panniers closely woven 
of fibres of cane, and filled with corn meal pounded 
or ground very fine. They had been sent forward 
by their chief, with the meal as a present, and to 
invite the strangers to visit his village. After smok- 
ing together, and the Indians having received some 
knives and beads in return for their gift, the united 
party set out for the village. 

It was still some distance to the village. Night 
had come. The horses of the travellers were weary 
and hungry. They therefore encamped in a rich 
meadow, by a rippling stream. Two of the Indians 
returned to their village. One remained with the 
strangers. The next morning they went forward, 
and were conducted by their Indian companion to 
the cabin of the chief. They were received with very 
unusual courtly etiquette. 

About a third of a mile from the village there 
was a very large building, which we should call the 
town house, or the city hall. It was constructed as 
the place for the gathering of all their great public 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 349 

assemblages. The floor was very neatly carpeted 
with finely woven mats. A very imposing procession 
was formed to escort the strangers from the cabin 
of the chief to this council house. 

First in the procession came all the men of the 
village, venerable in character and age. They were 
richly dressed, in very tasteful picturesque garments, 
of softly tanned deer-skin. These robes and leggins 
and scarfs were of different colors, of brilliant hue, 
and were profusely decorated with fringes and em- 
broidered with shells. They wore plumes of colored 
feathers upon their heads, which waved gracefully 
in the gentle breeze. In their hands they held jave- 
lins, or bows, with quivers of arrows suspended on 
their shoulders. 

On each side of the ancients, who were twelve in 
number, there were files of warriors, as if for their 
protection. They were all young men of admirable 
figure, painted and dressed, and armed as if on the 
war-path. The procession being thus formed in 
front of the chiefs cabin, and the whole population 
of the village, many hundred in number, men, women 
and children, gathered around to witness the spec- 
tacle, M. Joutel and his attendants, led by the 
chief, were brought out to be received by the ancients 
and conducted to the council house. 

These venerable men greeted them with much 



350 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

formality. Each one raised his right hand to his 
head, and then performed a pecuhar series of bows. 
They then embraced each one, gently throwing their 
arms around the neck. This ceremony was followed 
by the presentation of the pipe of friendship, each 
one taking but a few whiffs. 

The cortege advanced to the council house. The 
guests were seated on couches in the centre. The 
ancients, silently and with much dignity of move- 
ment, took seats around them. A large multi- 
tude crowded the vacant spaces. They were feasted 
with the choicest viands of the Indians, boiled corn 
meal, cakes baked in the ashes, and truly delicious 
steaks of venison. Presents were interchanged, and 
kind speeches made, mainly by signs. 

M. Joutel informed them that it was his great 
desire to obtain corn for their long journey. They 
said that their supply was short, but that in a neigh- 
boring village, at the distance of but a few leagues, 
there was an abundant supply. They also signified 
their readiness to accompany their guests to this 
village. 

A large party set out together. The trail led 
along the banks of one of the branches of the Brazos. 
The region was delightful, the soil fertile, and quite a 
dense population, blessed with abundance, peopled 
the lovely valley. It might have been almost an Eden, 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 35 1 

but for the wickedness of fallen man. This powerful 
tribe the Cenis, was at war with another tribe, called 
the Cannohantimos. Frequently the valley would be 
swept by an irruption of fierce warriors, with gleam- 
ing tomahawks and poisoned arrows and demoniac 
yells. Conflagration, blood, and shrieks of misery 
ensued. The valley, which God had made so beau- 
tiful for his children, those children had converted 
into a Gethsemane, where all the fiends seemed 
struggling. 

But our travellers passed up this valley in one of 
the serene and blooming spring mornings. There 
was a lull in war's tempest, and a heavenly Fathers 
smile illumined all the scene. Large dome-like 
cabins and cultivated fields were met with all along 
the route. Many of these dwellings were sixty feet 
in diameter. They afforded perfect protection from 
wind and rain, were neatly carpeted, and gave ample 
accommodation often for four or five families. 

One central fire, which was never permitted to 
go out, was common for all. There were no parti- 
tions. Each family occupied a certain portion of 
the space, and slept on comfortable beds, raised a 
foot or two from the floor. They were naturally 
a very amiable people among themselves, and lived 
together on the most brotherly terms. 

In cultivating the fields they worked together. 



352 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Often a hundred men and women would meet to 
plant the field of one man. They would spend six 
or seven hours in carefully digging the field with 
wooden forks, and in planting seeds of corn, beans, 
melons, and other vegetables. They would then 
have a feast, provided by the one in whose behalf 
they were laboring. This would be followed by 
games and dances. The men dug the soil, while 
the women planted and covered the seed. These 
children of the prairie must have found, in these 
co-operative labors, far more enjoyment than the 
solitary farmer can find in his lonely toils. Thus this 
band would pass from field to field throughout the 
whole village. 

M. Joutel says that, so far as he could learn, they 
did not seem to have any definite idea of God. 
They had certain shadowy notions of some being or 
beings above themselves, but apparently did not 
consider that these beings took any special interest 
in scenes occurring here below. Upon the subject 
of religion it could hardly be said that they had any 
definite idea. They had no temples, no priests, no 
worship. Their minds were in a state of vacuity. 
In this respect they were much in the condition of 
mere animals. They had certain ceremonies, the 
meaning of which they could not explain, except 
that such was their custom — that their fathers did 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 353 

SO. Be it remembered that this is the account 
which is given of the Cenis Indians. Others were 
more enhghtened, and others less. There are well- 
authenticated accounts of some Indians, who were 
in the habit of daily prayer. 

They reached the village in the early evening. 
Couriers had preceded them to announce their com- 
ing. The principal men came out and conducted 
them to a cabin, which had been prepared for their 
reception. After supper and a social pipe, the guests 
were left to the repose which they greatly needed. 
The cabin assigned to them was one of the largest in 
the place. It had belonged to a chief who had re- 
cently died. A gentle fire was burning in the centre. 
There were several women in the cabin, attending to 
sundry household duties. The guests slept soundly. 

The next morning was the 1st of April, 1687, 
The fathers of the village again called upon the 
strangers with much courtesy of demeanor, and 
brought them an ample breakfast. Presents were 
exchanged, and a very fine horse was purchased for 
a hatchet. The day was spent in purchasing corn, 
which was placed in panniers, to be carried on the 
backs of the hoi?ses. 

Here were found three Frenchmen who, a year 
before had deserted from La Salle. With painted 
faces, and in the dress of savages, no one could dis- 



354 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

tino-uish them from others of the tribe. The fact 
that in one year they had almost entirely forgotten 
their native language, seems at first thought almost 
incredible. But it must be remembered that they 
were vagabond sailors, with no mental culture, who 
could neither read nor write, and with whom lan- 
guage was merely a succession of sounds, which were 
very easily obliterated from the memory. 

M. Joutel sent his companions back to the camp 
with the corn which had already been purchased, 
while he remained to obtain more. Alone in the 
cabin, far away in the wilderness, the companion of 
murderers, and a very uncertain fate before him, he 
could not sleep. At midnight, as he was recHning 
upon his mat, absorbed in thought, he saw, by the 
light of the fire, an Indian enter the cabin, with a 
bow and two arrows in his hand. He took a seat 
near where M. Joutel was apparently sleeping. 

M. Joutel spoke to him. He made no reply; 
but arose and took another seat near the fire. M. 
Joutel, being sleepless, followed him, to enter, if 
possible, into conversation. Fixing his eyes earnestly 
upon the taciturn Indian, he saw, to his surprise, that 
he was one of the French deserters whom he had 
formerly known very well. His name was Grollet. 
He informed M. Joutel that he had a comrade by 
the name of Ruter, who did not dare to come with 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 355 

him, from fear that he should be punished by La 
Salle, of whose death they had not heard. 

''They had," writes M. Joutel, ''in so short a 
time so entirely contracted the habits of the savages, 
as to become thorough savages themselves. They 
were naked, and their faces and bodies were covered 
with painted figures. Each of them had taken sev- 
eral wives. They had accompanied the warriors of 
the tribe to battle ; and with their guns had killed 
many of the enemy, which had given them great 
renown. Having expended all their powder and 
bullets, their guns had become useless. They had 
therefore taken bows and arrows and had become 
quite skilful in their use. As to religion, they never 
had any. The libertine life they were now practising 
was quite to their taste." 

Grollet seemed much moved when he heard of 
the death of La Salle and the others. Upon being 
questioned whether he had ever heard the Indians 
speak of the Mississippi, he said that he had not, but 
that he had often heard them speak of a very large 
river, about five days' journey northeast of them, and 
upon whose banks there were very many Indian 
tribes. 

The two next days M. Joutel continued purchas- 
ing corn. It could not be bought in large quantities, 
but many families could spare a little. On the 8th 



356 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

of April he returned to the camp, with three horses 
laden with corn. During this delay the murderer, 
Duhaut, had had many hours for reflection. To 
return to a French military or trading post, accom- 
panied by the witnesses of his crime, was certain 
death. To attempt to kill all those not implicated 
in the murder, would be a very serious undertaking ; 
especially as they were now on their guard, and the 
assassins had begun to quarrel among themselves. 

Duhaut formed the plan of turning back, with 
his confederates, to the settlement which they had 
left at the bay of St. Louis. Where he designed to 
build a vessel and to sail for the West India Islands. 
The persons whom Duhaut greatly feared were 
Father Douay, M. Joutel, La Salle's brother, M. 
Chevalier, and a young man who was called Young 
Chevalier. The head murderer now adopted the 
policy of separating these men from the rest of the 
company, that he might freely talk with his confeder- 
ates of his plans. M. Joutel and his associates were 
also well pleased with this arrangement, for they 
too could now talk freely. Duhaut tried to compel 
the other party to go back with him. Bait they ab- 
solutely refused. Finding that he could not force 
them, and that they were resolved to continue their 
journey to the French settlements, and that thus 
they might send an armed ship to capture the mur- 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 357 

derers ; he resolved to continue in their company. 
Probably he hoped that some opportunity would 
occur in which he could cut them off. 

There were five men who were active participants 
in the assassination. Duhaut, the instigator, Hiens, 
who was the next most prominent in the plot, and 
three others, who were rather their tools, Liotot, 
Tessier, and Larcheveque. The rage of Hiens was 
kindled only against Moranget. He was wiUing to 
kill Moranget's two companions that they might not 
be witnesses against the murderers. He would con- 
ceal their bodies, and would have it understood that 
they had wandered away and become lost, or that 
they had been captured by the Indians. 

Liotot was appointed to strike the fatal blows 
upon Moranget and his companions with the hatchet, 
while the others stood ready, with their guns, to aid, 
should it be necessary. The subsequent murder of 
La Salle was contrary to the wishes of Hiens. 
Duhaut and Larcheveque waylaid him. They both 
fired nearly at the same moment. The bullet of 
Larcheveque, either intentionally or by accident, 
passed wide of its mark. Duhaut's bullet pierced 
the brain. 

There was no sympathy between Hiens and 
Duhaut. When the latter so arrogantly assumed the 
command, Hiens became very restive, and was wait- 



358 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

ing for an opportunity to dethrone him. Trembling 
in view of the peril of approaching the French settle- 
ments, and having no disposition to imbrue his hands 
any farther in the blood of innocent men whose con- 
duct had only won his regard, he was extremely anx- 
ious to return to the bay of St. Louis. 

Finding that Duhaut had altered his plan and 
had decided to continue on the Mississippi, he took 
one or two of his companions aside and deeply im- 
pressed them with a sense of the danger they would 
thus encounter. They conspired to kill Duhaut and 
his most resolute supporter Liotot. 

Hiens then entered into a secret alliance with the 
savages, promising that if they would aid him in his 
plans, he would stop the march of the party toward 
the Mississippi, and with several others would join 
them, with their all-powerful muskets, in a hostile 
expedition they were about to make against a neigh- 
boring tribe. He also enlisted, in co-operation with 
his plans, the French deserters who had already 
become savages. 

Thus strengthened, and with twenty-two well- 
armed savages in his train, he sought Duhaut. In 
brief words he thus addressed him : 

*' You have decided to go on to the French set- 
tlements. It is a danger which we dare not encoun- 
ter. I therefore demand that you divide with us all 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 359 

the arms, ammunition, and goods we have. You 
may then pursue your own course and we will pur- 
sue ours." 

Without waiting for any reply he drew a pistol 
and shot Duhaut through the heart. The miserable 
man staggered back a few steps and dropped dead. 
At the same moment one of his accomplices, Ruter, 
with his musket, shot down Liotot, inflicting a mor- 
tal wound.. As the men was struggling in death's 
agonies, Ruter advanced and discharged a pistol- 
shot into the convulsed body. Douay Avrites, " His 
hair, and then his shirt and clothes took fire, and 
wrapped him in flames, and in this torment he ex- 
pired." It was the intention of Hiens also to kill Lar- 
cheveque, but he, terror-stricken, escaped by flight. 

A small hole was dug, and the two dead bodies 
were thrown in and covered up. M. Joutel was 
present, and witnessed this dreadful scene. He 
writes : 

" These murders took place before my eyes. I 
was dreadfully agitated, and supposing that my 
death was immediately to follow, instinctively seized 
my musket in self-defence. But Hiens cried out : 

" * You have nothing to fear. We do not wish 
to harm you. We only avenge the death of our 
patron La Salle. Could I have prevented his death 
I certainly should have done so.' "* 



360 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

The savages were astonished at this scene. They 
were not at all prepared for it. But Hiens explained 
to them that it was done to avenge murders which 
they had committed ; and that as Duhaut and 
Liotot had resolved to take with them all the guns 
and ammunition, it was necessary to kill them that 
Hiens and his associates might join the Indians in 
their war party. This statement seemed to give 
entire satisfaction. 

Hiens was now the leader of the rapidly dwin- 
dling band. He informed them that he should take 
several of his companions, with the guns and ammu- 
nition, and accompany the Indians on their military 
expedition. In the meantime, until his return, they 
were to remain in charge of friendly Indians. Thus 
they were virtually prisoners. Their means for con- 
tinuing the journey were taken from them. Proba- 
bly Hiens intended that they should never return to 
France. 

Early in May, the war party commenced its 
march. Hiens accompanied the warriors, with four 
of his party, and two of the French deserters. This 
made seven Frenchmen, well armed with powder 
and ball. As they were to encounter foes who bore 
only bows and arrows, the French allies became an 
immense acquisition to the force of the expedition. 
Each one of these had a horse. Hiens exacted a 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 36 1 

promise, from those he left behind, that they would 
not leave the village until his return. 

A fortnight passed away. Those who remained 
were encamped at a little distance outside of the 
village. They were frequently visited by the men 
and the women, who ever manifested the most 
friendly feelings. They could converse only by 
signs, and their attempted communication of ideas 
was not very satisfactory. 

On the 1 8th of the month a great crowd came 
rushing out to the encampment. The men and 
women were painted and decorated. Their smiling 
faces, songs, and dances indicated plainly that they 
had received tidings of a great victory. For several 
hours, there was exhibited a very picturesque scene 
of feasting, smoking, and barbarian jollity. In the 
midst of these wild festivities, a courier arrived, 
stating that the victorious army was returning, and 
that they had killed more than forty of their ene- 
mies. The next day they arrived. 

They brought very glowing accounts of the 
achievements of the French with their muskets. 
They found the foe drawn up in battle array in a 
dense grove. Approaching within musket-shot, but 
not within arrow-shot, the French with deliberate 
aim shot down forty-eight of the foe. The rest in 
terror fled. The shouting Cenis pursued. They 
16 



362 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

took a large number of women and children as pris- 
oners, most of whom they instantly killed and 
scalped. Two mature girls they brought back with 
them to subject to fiend-like torture. One of them 
had been cruelly scalped. Faint and bleeding she 
could endure but little more. An Indian, borrowing 
a pistol from a Frenchman, deliberately shot her 
through the head, saying : 

" Take that message to your nation. Tell them 
that ere long we will serve them all in the sam-e 
way." 

The other maiden was reserved for all the horrors 
of demoniac torture by the women and the girls. 
These were arranged in a circle. The poor girl was 
led into the middle of them. They were all armed 
with strong sticks sharply pointed. They then, 
with hideous yells, fell tumultuously upon her, like 
hounds upon a hare. She soon dropped to the 
grown beneath their blows. They thrust their sharp 
sticks into her body. With sinewy arms these 
savage women beat her in the face, over the head, 
upon every part of her frame until her body pre- 
sented but a mangled mass of blood. As she lay 
upon, the ground scarcely breathing, a burly Indian 
came forward, and with one blow of a club crushed 
in her brain. 

The next day there was another great celebra- 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 363 

tion. Great honor was conferred upon the French 
who had caused the victory. The Indian warriors 
had done but Httle more than kill the women and 
children whom they had taken prisoners, and scalp 
all the slain. After several speeches were made by 
their orators, a procession was formed. Each war- 
rior had a bow and two arrows in his hand, and was 
accompanied by one of his wives, who, like a servant, 
or rather like the squire of the knights of old, waved 
in her hands the gory scalps, revolting trophies of 
her husband's chivalric achievements. The whole 
day was devoted to barbarian feasting and carousing. 

Hiens the next day held an amicable conference 
with M. Joutel and his friends, to come to some agree- 
ment as to their future operations. *' I am not will- 
ing," he said, "to return to the French settlements- 
It would inevitably cost me my head. But I am will- 
ing to divide all our property equally between the 
two parties. Those who wish may accompany Jou- 
tel ; others may remain with me." 

The division was made. M. Joutel, Father Douay, 
M. CavaHer, and his nephew, young Cavalier, and 
three others, De Marie, Tessier and Barthelmy, com- 
posed the party which was to return to the French 
settlements. Thus the - band of twenty which had 
left the bay of St. Louis had dwindled down to seven. 
They had three horses, thirty hatchets, five dozen 



364 - THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

knives, thirty pounds of powder, and thirty pounds 
of bullets. Three Indians volunteered as guides for 
a portion of the way. 

When the Cenis chief found that M. Joutel was 
about to undertake so long and perilous a journey, 
with so small a band, he was astonished, and did 
everything in his power to dissuade him from such 
an enterprise. 

" If you will remain with us," said he, '* we will give 
you cabins and wives, and food in abundance. The 
dangers before you are appalling, not only from hos- 
tile Indians, whose territories you must pass through, 
but from the innumerable difficulties of broad rivers 
and deep marshes you must encounter by the way." 

M. Joutel and his companions were firm. Very 
reluctantly the chief consented that the three Indian 
guides should, for a time, accompany them. It was 
about the 25th of May, when they resumed their 
march from the village of the Cenis. The second 
day they came to a broad river, which they crossed 
on a raft, swimming their horses. The country was 
quite densely populated. They daily passed cabins 
and villages of the Indians, but encountered no oppo- 
sition. We have minute accounts of their reception 
in many of these villages. .AH are essentially the 
same with those which we have already narrated. 

Day after day, with occasional halts in conse- 



THE PENALTY OF CRIME. 365 

quence of rains, the travellers pressed on, through the 
month of May and to the middle of June. Their 
route was generally in a northeastern direction. 
Their path led them through a rugged country of 
forests, ravines, and rivers. The average territory of 
each Indian tribe was about twenty miles square. 
Friendly Indians were always found to guide them, 
as it were, from post to post on their way. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Close of the Drama. 

Ludicrous Scene. — Death of M. Marie. — Sympathy of the Savages. — 
Barbaric Ceremonies, — The Mississippi Reached. — Joyful Inter- 
view. — Ascending the River. — Incidents by the Way. — The 
Beautiful Illinois. — Weary Detention. — The Voyage to Mack- 
inac. — Thence to Quebec. — Departure for France. — Fate of 
the Colony. 

The latter part of June they approached a village, 
when a large number of men came out to greet them, 
and to escort them in. The Indians insisted upon 
carrying the Frenchmen into the village upon their 
backs, saying that it was their invariable custom in 
the reception of guests. They were constrained to 
submit. Seven savages stooped down, and each one 
received one of the guests upon his shoulders. 
Others led the horses. 

M. Joutel was a very tall man and very heavy. 
He also carried a gun, two pistols, some powder and 
lead, and several articles of clothing. The savage 
who undertook to carry him, was a small man, so 
that M. Joutel's feet almost touched the ground. 
As he tottered beneath his burden, two other sav- 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 367 

ages came to his aid, helping to sustain him by the 
legs. Thus he had three porters. 

The Frenchmen, whose vivacity seemed never 
long to forsake them, found it very difficult to re- 
strain their laughter in view of the ludicrous specta- 
cle they presented. It was three-quarters of a mile 
to the village. The porters, quite exhausted, sur- 
rendered their burdens in the cabin of the chief. 
The Indians wore but little clothing; some of them 
none at all. They brought water, saying that it was 
their custom to wash their guests, but as they per- 
ceived that the Frenchmen were encumbered with 
garments, they would wash only their faces. 

After this ceremony, they were placed upon a 
platform about four feet high, and addressed in long 
speeches of welcome. As usual there was smoking, 
feasting, and the exchange of presents. They then 
opened a very successful traffic with the Indians for 
the purchase of corn. 

These Indians had never heard the report of a 
gun. They were astonished in view of the deadly 
power of the invisible bullet ; and they implored the 
strangers to remain with them and aid them in a war 
expedition. Though M. Joutel was the historian of 
this expedition, they seem, by common consent, to 
have regarded La Salle's brother, M. Cavalier, as 
their leader. He informed the Indians that they 



368 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

must hasten on their way, but that they hoped, ere 
long, to return and bring with them guns, powder, 
hatchets, knives, and other articles to exchange for 
their furs. This pleased them greatly. 

A melancholy accident occurred at this place. 
M. Marie went into the river to bathe. Accidentally 
he got beyond his depth and was drowned. The 
savages manifested the deepest sympathy on the 
occasion. They rushed to the spot in large numbers, 
plunged into the water, regained the lifeless body, 
and with mournful wailings bore it back to the village. 
They watched with intensest interest the rites of 
Christian burial. The grave of the unfortunate man 
was in a beautiful grove, on the banks of the river. 
His mourning companions raised over the spot a 
cross, the touching emblem of the great atoning 
sacrifice for sin. 

" It is our duty to testify," writes M. Joutel, "to 
the kindness of this affectionate people. Their 
humanity, manifested in this sad accident, was very 
remarkable. Their sympathy in our grief was greater 
than we could have experienced in any part of 
Europe." 

There were four very pleasant and populous vil- 
lages here, situated near each other. The inhabitants 
seemed to be united in the most fraternal alliance. 
And yet these people, who could be so gentle, tender 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 369 

and sympathetic in receiving their friends, could 
be as merciless as demons in torturing their enemies. 

On the 30th of June, the travellers again took up 
their Hne of march. There was a wide river, near 
by, to be crossed. They had spent several days in 
this village, receiving unbounded acts of politeness 
and hospitality from the people. The men and the 
women alike vied in delicate attentions, such as could 
not have been expected from savages. 

There was a broad and deep river near by to be 
crossed. The chief and a large escort of the natives 
accompanied them to the river, and paddled them 
over in their canoes, swimming the horses. M. 
Chevalier, in taking leave of his friends, gave them 
some rich presents, not forgetting to make the women 
happy in the gift of some gorgeous beads. Several 
Indians guided the party to the next tribe, at a dis- 
tance of about thirty miles. Here again they were 
received in the cabin of the chief with unbounded 
hospitality. 

After being welcomed with their many ceremo- 
nials of greeting, guides were furnished to accompany 
them to the next tribe. Thus they pressed on, day 
after day, with but occasional delays. Their route 
lay through a very rich country, abounding with deer 
and turkeys and prairie chickens. Village after vil- 
lage they entered. Tribe after tribe they met. But 
16* 



370 . THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

everywnere they encountered the same invariable 
hospitaUty. On one occasion a group of singers 
came to their cabin, and treated them with a seren- 
ade of plaintive music. At the same time one of 
their number crowned M. Chevalier with a beautiful 
head-dress of colored plumes. 

The ceremony, on this occasion, was very elabo- 
rate, in which the females as well as the men 
took an active part. Two girls, of remarkably grace- 
ful form, and whose symmetric limbs were but 
slightly veiled, were brought, evidently without any 
intentional immodesty, into such affectionate contact 
with M. Chevalier, as greatly to confuse him. 

It was quite evident that the Indians did not 
expect that their wealthy guests would receive these 
attentions without making them some return. They 
seem to have regarded themselves as abundantly 
rewarded by a gift of a hatchet, four knives, and a 
few beads. They regarded the French as superior 
beings, and were amazed and awed by the report of 
the guns, and the deadly flight of the bullet. They 
entreated the strangers to remain with them, offering 
them cabins and food and wives. 

They had reached a broken, hilly country, with 
ravines and forests, and Indian trails leading in 
many directions. Guides were greatly needed ; and 
guides were always furnished. On the evening of 



THE CLOSE OF TPIE DRAMA. 371 

the 24th of July, they came to the banks of a river 
of unusual flood and breadth. To their surprise 
and deHght they saw, upon the opposite bank, a 
large cross, and near by a spacious log-cabin, such as 
the French were accustomed to rear at their stations. 

" No one," writes M. Joutel, '' can imagine the 
joy with which this sight inspired our hearts. We 
threw ourselves upon our knees, and with tearful eyes 
thanked God for having so safely led us. We had 
no doubt that those on the opposite shore were 
Frenchmen, and the cross proved that they were 
fellow Christians." 

The inmates of the log-cabin caught sight of the 
strangers. Probably their dress indicated that they 
were not Indians. They fired two muskets as a 
salute. The salute was promptly returned. Imme- 
diately several canoes pushed off, from the opposite 
bank, paddled by Indians, and in which the travellers 
saw two men in European dress. They were two 
Frenchmen, M. Charpentier and M. Launay, both 
from Rouen. Their station was on the northern 
bank of the Arkansas River, not far from its entrance 
into the Mississippi. Lieutenant Tonti had estab- 
lished the post, that he might receive news from La 
Salle's expedition. 

In this interview, as in nearly all the scenes of 
earth, joy and grief were blended. The travellers felt 



372 - THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

that now they were safe, and that return to friends 
and home was secure. But all wept over the death 
of La Salle, for he was revered and loved by all who 
knew him. There was quite a large number of 
Indians at the station. They unloaded the horses, 
brought up the baggage, and men and women 
crowded around with unfeigned joy. 

After a short time the Indians all left the cabin, 
and the white men held a conference together, nar- 
rating past events. Lieutenant Tonti had stationed 
six men at that post. They were to remain there 
until they should receive tidings of La Salle's landing 
at the mouth of the Mississippi. As the months 
passed away, and they heard nothing of his expedi- 
tion, four of the party went to fort St. Louis on the 
Illinois River, leaving but two behind. It was 
decided that it was best to conceal the death of La 
Salle until it could be communicated by his brother, 
Chevalier, to the court in France. In the meantime 
the impression was to be left that he was still super- 
intending the affairs of the settlement at the bay of 
St. Louis. 

At a little distance from the log-cabin of the 
French there was quite a group of Indian wigwams. 
The chief soon came and invited the newly arrived 
strangers to dine with him and his chief men. Mats 
were spread in the large cabin of the chief, and an 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 373 

ample feast provided. At the close of the entertain- 
ment M. Cavalier addressed them, in substance as 
follows : 

" We accompanied the Chevalier La Salle from 
France, to establish a settlement at the mouth of the 
Mississippi River. We left our colony on the shores 
of the Gulf of Mexico, and are on our way to Canada. 
Wc have passed through the territories of very many 
tribes, who have all treated us in the kindest manner. 
It is our intention to return from Canada to the 
mouth of the river, with a large supply of merchan- 
dise. The people, through whose countries we have 
passed, have furnished us with guides. We ask the 
same favor of you, with canoes to ascend the river, 
and with a supply of food. The guides shall be well 
rewarded, and we will pay you for all the supplies 
with which you may furnish us." 

All this was very easily said, through an interpre- 
ter. The chief expressed his surprise that they could 
have passed through so many tribes without having 
been either killed or robbed. He said that he would 
immediately send couriers to the other villages of 
his tribe, to inform them of the wishes of the French- 
men and to decide what could be done to aid them 
in their object. 

M. Joutel gives a very alluring account of the 
situation and structure of this village. It was 



3/4 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

delightfully situated on an elevated plain, com- 
manding an extensive view of the river and of the 
adjacent country. The wigwams were substantially 
built, presenting very comfortable interiors. The 
region around was almost crowded with buffaloes, 
deer, antelopes, and a vast variety of prairie and 
water-fowls. Fruit trees and vines were abundant, 
and they were richly laden with their delicious bur- 
dens. Extended fields were waving luxuriantly with 
the golden corn. Fish of many kinds were taken 
from the river. It is indeed a glowing account 
which the pen of the historian gives of this favored 
land. 

The tribe at that point was called the Arkansas. 
They occupied four large villages. Two of these 
villages were on the Arkansas River, and two upon 
the Mississippi. These savages did everything in 
their power to testify the pleasure with which they 
received the strangers. Some of their ceremonies 
were so tedious that the guests would gladly have 
avoided them. A delegation of the chiefs, from the 
other villages, was soon assembled. A very formal 
council was held. It was decided that the four vil- 
lages should furnish one large boat, and one man 
from each village to aid in navigating it, and also 
the needful supply of food. 

One of M. Cavalier's party, M. Barthelmy, who 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 375 

was a young man from Paris, weary with the long 
journey he had already taken, and charmed with 
the friendly character of the natives and the Eden- 
like region they had found, decided to remain 
there. The horses also were left. They had, as 
they judged, a voyage of twelve hundred miles from 
the mouth of the Arkansas to the mouth of the 
Illinois. They had travelled, according to their esti- 
mate, seven hundred and fifty miles from their settle- 
ment on the Gulf. 

The French party had now dwindled to five per- 
sons. The boat in which they embarked was forty 
feet long. Fifteen Indians, men and women, entered 
the boat with them, to accompany them a part of the 
way. The windings of the river were such that it 
required a voyage of several leagues to reach its 
mouth. It would seem, from the narrative, that 
they reached a village at the mouth of the river on 
the 29th. Here they exchanged their large and 
heavy periagua, for two light canoes, with which to 
ascend against the swift current of the Mississippi. 

The next day they made twenty-four miles, and 
reached Cappa, the last village of the Arkansas on 
the Mississippi. Here the chief contrived to detain 
them a day, that the Indians might enjoy a few 
hours of barbaric festivity. On the 2d of August 
the party re-embarked, nine in number, five French- 



376 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

men and four Indians. The rapidity of the current 
was such that they were frequently compelled to 
cross the river to take advantage of the eddies. 
Sometimes, at points in the river, the flo^ was so 
swift that they were compelled to land, and carry 
the canoes and all their luggage on their shoulders 
around the point. 

The first night they encamped upon an island, 
for greater security. The Indians in that vicin- 
ity had a bad reputation. The hardships of 
this voyage were very great. It was necessary 
for each one to ply the paddle with the utmost 
energy. They had often marshes to wade, dense 
forests to cut their way through, and desert plains 
to traverse beneath the rays of a blistering sun. 

Weary days and nights came and went. Long 
accustomed to every variety of wilderness life, there 
was no novelty to charm them. On the 19th of 
August they reached the mouth of the Ohio. Occa- 
sionally they landed to shoot a buffalo or a deer or 
a turkey. Their Indian attendants now manifested 
a disposition to leave them, which caused the French- 
men great alarm. Should the Indians stealthily, at 
night, take the canoes and descend the swift current 
of the stream, pursuit would be impossible, and the 
travellers would be left on the banks of the river, in 
a truly deplorable condition. This rendered it ne- 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 377 

cessary for them to keep a constant watch, with their 
arms in their hands. 

In this state of anxiety they continued their 
laborious voyage until the 30th of August, when they 
reached the mouth of the Missouri River. On the 
2d of August they passed the famous painting on 
the rocks to which we have before alluded. On the 
3d of September they joyfully left the Mississippi, 
and entered the more placid current of the Illinois.* 
They judged it to be one hundred and eighty miles 
from the Ohio to the lUinois. 

Upon this river they found a great and delightful 
change of scenery. The richest verdure and bloom 
of summer were all around them. Meadows, and 
prairies, and lawn-Hke groves crowded with game, 
constantly regaled the eye. The gentle flow of the 
river greatly relieved them from the fatigue of the 
paddle. Day after day they ascended the charming 
stream. Night after night they enjoyed encamp- 
ment in lovely groves, beneath serene skies, and 
feasting upon the choicest game. They frequently 
came to villages and encampments of the Illinois 
Indians, with whom they felt entirely at home. 

On the nth of September a soHtary Indian came 
down to the bank of the river, and hailed them. 

* M. Douay says, the 5th of September. These slight discrepan- 
cies in dates are very frequent. 



378 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

They understood his language, and informed him 
that they had come from M. de la Salle, and that 
they were bound to the station, farther up the river. 
He ran back to the encampment with the news. The 
whole multitude came rushing down to the river, with 
joyous shoutings ; and several guns were fired by 
them in salute. The salute was returned from the 
boats. This was a band of the numerous tribe of 
Illinois Indians from the region of Kaskaskia. 

The French fort on the Illinois River, as we 
have mentioned, was called St. Louis. The Indians- 
said that Lieutenant Tonti was not then at the fort, 
but that he had accompanied a party of their war- 
riors in an expedition against the Iroquois. They 
urged the voyagers to land and take some food with 
them. But the Frenchmen declined. Being now 
so near what they deemed their journey's end, they 
were eager to press on their way. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday, the 
14th of September, 1687, the weary and way-worn 
travellers reached the trading and military post of 
St. Louis. Compared with the humble wigwams of 
the Indians, the fort assumed majestic proportions, 
standing upon an eminence which commanded an 
extensive view of the region around. A group of 
Indians was gathered upon the bank. When 
informed that the strangers were from the settlement 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 379 

of La Salle, they ran back to the fort with the joy- 
ful tidings. Immediately a Frenchman was seen, 
rushing down to the river, followed by a tumultuous 
group of Indians. M. Joutel writes : 

*' We returned together to the fort, where we 
found three Frenchmen. They inquired of us of the 
Chevalier de la Salle. We informed them that he 
had accompanied us a part of the way, and that we 
had left him about one hundred and twenty miles 
south of the great Cenis nation ; and that he was 
then in good health. In that statement there was 
nothing which was untrue; for M. CavaHer and I, 
who said this, were not present at his death. He 
had left us in good health. I have already spoken 
of the reasons which induced us to conceal his death 
until we should arrive in France." 

Upon entering the fort, the first movement was 
to go to the chapel in a body, with prayers and the 
Te Deum, to return thanks to God, for having con- 
ducted them so safely on their long and perilous way. 
La Salle was universally beloved and revered. His 
noble bearing, his winning deportment, his familiarity 
with Indian languages, his authority derived from 
the king, his extended explorations and perilous ad- 
ventures, and his pure and sincerely devout spirit, 
caused him to be regarded as eminently the great 
man of the pioneers in this new world. He was 



380 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

alike venerated by the savages and the Frenchmen. 
It was feared that the tidings of his death might 
materially weaken the power of the French in all 
their settlements. 

The Indians, who had accompanied the voyagers 
from the Arkansas, were abundantly rewarded. 
One of them had been taken sick and died at the 
fort. His share of the reward was given to his com- 
panions. They took a canoe, and, aided by the 
rapid current, probably soon reached their distant 
home. 

M. Cavalier was anxious to reach Quebec as soon 
as possible, that he might sail for France, communi- 
cate to the court the tidings of his brother's death, 
and send succor to the imperilled colony. On the 
1 8th of September the party re-embarked, in a canoe, 
obtained for their voyage of still more than a thou- 
sand miles, by rivers, portages, and lakes, to Quebec. 
They were in northern latitudes, and had entered 
the region of autumnal storms. They had ascended 
the river but a short distance when a storm arose of 
such violence that for eight days they were impris- 
oned in a wretched encampment. Resuming their 
voyage, even while the storm continued, they toiled 
along through several painful days, until they found 
themselves in such a battered condition that it was 
necessary to return to St. Louis. Much to the sur- 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 38 1 

prise of the little garrison there, the wanderers came 
back on the 7th of October. 

Though greatly afflicted by this delay, they re- 
mained here, we know not why, during the remainder 
of the autumn and a part of the winter. The country 
was full of game, and they had an abundance of good 
cheer, brought in by the Indian hunters. The fort 
was situated on a bluff about two hundred feet above 
the level of the stream. A strong palisade surrounded 
a space containing several log buildings, such as 
dwelling-houses, a store-house, and a chapel. The 
prospect from this eminence charmed every eye. 

" More lovely scenery," writes Joutel, *' can no- 
where be found. The country of the Illinois is not 
only surpassingly beautiful, but its fertility is such 
that it produces abundantly everything which is 
needful for human life. The temperate climate is 
the most delightful in the world." 

On the 27th of October, Lieutenant Tonti re- 
turned from the expedition against the ferocious 
Iroquois. Very strangely they concealed even from 
him, the news of the death of La Salle. Early in 
December, two couriers arrived, stating that three 
canoes from Montreal, laden with ammunition and 
valuable merchandise, had arrived at the mouth of 
the Chicago River, and were there blocked up by the 
ice. Lieutenant Tonti sent forty Indians, men and 



382 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

women, to transport these goods, on their backs or 
on sledges, to the fort. They did the work speedily 
and faithfully. 

The latter part of March, the ice left the river. 
On the 2 1st of the month, M. Cavalier and his party 
again set out on their journey, and on the 29th 
reached Chicago. A dismal storm was then sweep- 
ing the icy lake. There was no settlement there. 
There was, however, an abandoned cabin where they 
took refuge for ten days. No game was to be found 
.on the bleak plain, which was swept by rain and pier- 
cing winds. They had pounded corn alone for food. 

On the 8th of April, the rain still falling and the 
waves high, they pushed out from the river, into the 
turbulent waters, in their frail canoe. After much 
suffering and many perils, they reached Michilimack- 
inac on the loth of May, 1683. Early in June, a 
party of twenty-four Frenchmen and Indians set out 
in four canoes for Montreal. On the 25th the little 
fleet passed from Lake Michigan into Lake Huron, 
and on the 13th of July reached Montreal. Still 
they concealed the death of La Salle. They left the 
impression that he was with the colony, and that they 
were hastening to France to have supplies sent out 
to him. On the 27th they took a boat for Quebec, 
and reached that station on the 29th. On the 30th 
of August they embarked in a ship for their native 



THE CLOSE OF THE DRAMA. 383 

country, and were safely landed at Rochelle, on the 
15th of October, 1688. 

We have a brief and melancholy account, related 
by Charlevoix, of the fate of the unfortunate colony. 
When the Indians heard of the death of La Salle, 
and the departure of so large a portion of the garri- 
son, being exasperated by the cruel treatment they 
had received, and the refusal of the garrison to enter 
into any friendly relations with them, they made an 
attack upon the fort. 

The attack was successful. All were massacred 
excepting one man, three boys, and a girl. They 
were carried into captivity. Spain was at war 
with France. The Spaniards in Mexico heard of 
the establishment of a French colony on the Mexi- 
can Gulf. An expedition under Don Alonzo de 
Leon set out from Coahuila, probably with hostile 
intent, to visit the colony. He found but smoulder- 
ing ruins, and the decaying bodies of the dead. 
These bodies were pierced with arrows, and their 
heads crushed with war-clubs. He ascertained that 
the Indians had saved a few prisoners, and had 
celebrated their victory with songs and dances in all 
their villages. What became of the unhappy cap- 
tives can never be known. 

It is stated in a Spanish account* that Don 

* The Ensayo Cronologico of Barcia, p. 294. 



384 THE ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE. 

Alonzo did everything in his power to redeem the 
captives, and that he ordered the dead to be buried, 
weeping over their misfortunes, and praying most 
earnestly for the salvation of their souls. 

Such was the wonderful career of La Salle. Next 
to Columbus, he was the most illustrious of the 
pioneers of the New World. It would be difficult 
to find, in history, any one who has displayed in a 
higher degree the noble qualities of energy, cour- 
age, and perseverance, combined with the more 
gentle virtues of tenderness, humanity, and amia- 
bility. Adversity seemed to have no power to dis- 
hearten him. His character was pure, and we have 
no reason to doubt that he was in heart a sincere 
Christian. In the past history of our country, there 
are but few names which are entitled to stand so 
high on its roll of fame, as that of the Chevalier de 
la Salle. 



THE END. 



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